Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald has long been one of the NFL’s most dominant players. However, this has become especially true since moving to L.A., where Donald has gone from an incredible talent to perhaps one of the greatest defensive players of all time.
Another thing Donald is known for in addition to his on-field production is his extreme training sessions. Almost every offseason, a video will be released where Donald practices fighting off blockers using knives as motivation. It’s this type of nearly dangerous activity that has set Donald apart from other defenders throughout the years.
As the superstar enters his age 29 season, nearing the age where players begin their decline, Donald still feels amazing. In fact, he almost feels as though he’s getting stronger with age, as he said on the most recent episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks:
“I’m in great shape, I feel amazing. All I did since the offseason was train. I really just trained, that’s all I did. I still was grinding every single day, still working, conditioning wise keeping myself in shape. I feel strong. I’m getting older but I just feel like I’m getting in better shape as I get older, so I feel amazing.”
Should this be true, and with Donald it can absolutely be assumed that it is, it sounds like a scary thing for NFL offenses. The 13 opponents that the Rams will face in 2020 want nothing to do with an in shape and motivated Donald, as it has led to some scary numbers over the years.
In the last two seasons combined, Donald has absurd stat lines. Six forced fumbles, 107 total tackles, 45 tackles for loss, 65 quarterback hits and a whopping 33 sacks are all numbers that have terrorized offensive lines for 32 games.
If Donald can continue even a semblance of this, the Rams defense will be able to get back on the right track. And if he is really in as good of shape as he says he is, then it could be another record-breaking season for the Rams DT.
Donald ranked No. 3 of the NFL top 100 for 2020
In the annual rankings where players decide who among them is in the top 100, Donald has been a standard fixture. Since 2016, Donald has ranked in the top 15 every single season.
This peaked in 2019 when Donald finally reached the top spot, before dropping to No. 3 in the rankings for 2020, behind Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson.
