St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has been named the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year at the NFL Honors show Saturday evening. The award is given to the top first-year defensive player over the course of a regular season, and while there were a few other names to consider, Donald was the clear choice this year.
Aaron Donald named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
Aaron Donald is your AP Defensive Rookie of the Year after putting up a huge season for the St. Louis Rams.
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Donald, who was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft, wasn’t even in the starting lineup until October. After that, he made his presence known in every game and progressed at a high-level rate. He rushed the passer very well from the inside and was a stout run defender. Not only was he good, but he made the guys around him better, and that freed up defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to get more creative on that side of the ball.
Donald managed to put up nine sacks, second-most on the team behind All-Pro defensive end Robert Quinn. The Rams’ defensive line was already considered one of the best in the league before the season and Donald stood out a head above the rest, and that’s with teams game-planning to slow him down as the season went along. Donald wasn’t just the best rookie defensive tackle or the best rookie defensive lineman, he was arguably the top defensive tackle in the league. In fact, Pro Football Focus graded him as the top defensive tackle in the 2014 season.
He finished the season with 47 tackles, nine sacks, a pass defensed and a pair of forced fumbles. His nine sacks led all rookies and were the most by any first-year player in three years. He also totaled 17 tackles for loss, the most ever by a rookie defensive lineman.
This is the second major defensive rookie award given to Donald, who also won the same honor from the Professional Football Writers Association. He beat out several other candidates for both awards. Khalil Mack of the Oakland Raiders looked like one of the league's top outside linebackers all year, while C.J. Mosley of the Baltimore Ravens didn't seem out of place manning Ray Lewis' old spot, looking like one of the best interior linebackers in the league. But Donald made the big, game-changing plays, and for that he gets this award.
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