With the No. 13 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams selected Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Donald was ranked second among all defensive tackle prospects on the SB Nation top 200 big board and No. 13 overall.
NFL Draft results 2014: DT Aaron Donald goes to Rams at No. 13
At Pittsburgh, Aaron Donald was often overlooked. Now, Donald will have a chance to grab the spotlight.
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Donald was thought of as a solid prospect entering the NFL Combine in February, but saw his stock skyrocket at the event. At 6’1 and 285 pounds, Donald is a tad undersized but can move very well along the line. The Pennsylvania native has been a long-time performer for Pittsburgh, playing every game as a true freshman.
In 2013, Donald became a major force. The lineman led the league in tackles for loss, became a winner of the Bronko Nagurski and Outland Trophies and was named a unanimous All-American, per NFL.com. Donald was also a team captain for the Panthers.
Combine results
40-yard dash: 4.68 seconds
Bench: 35 reps
Vertical jump: 32 inches
Broad jump: 116 inches
3-cone drill: 7.11 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.39 seconds
In our SB Nation scouting report of Donald, Dan Kadar wrote about Donald’s pass-rushing ability.
Donald is dangerous as a pass rusher because of his versatility. While he predominantly played inside at Pittsburgh, he also found success getting after the quarterback on the end. From the interior, Donald is good because of his combination of hand use and quickness. A few times as a senior Donald showed an impressive spin move to shed blockers and get into the backfield.
While Donald often gets viewed as a speed-first lineman, it's his handwork that stands out. For an interior lineman, Donald has a variety of moves. He uses a swim to get inside. He can pop his hands out to jar an offensive lineman backward. He shoots gaps with a rare quickness to get in the face of a quarterback. This isn't necessarily a pass rush criticism, but it would be nice to see Donald get his hands up more when he gets stopped on a pressure.
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