Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald has firmly entrenched himself as one of the greatest defenders to ever play the game of football. But heading into the 2023 season, Donald is looking to remind everyone that he is still one of the premier players in the NFL today.
Last season was the worst of Donald’s career as for the first time in his NFL career he missed games due to injury, playing just 11 games. As such, he posted career-low numbers and failed to make First Team All-Pro for the first time since his rookie year in 2014.
Now with training camp and preseason in full swing, Donald admitted that he still isn’t quite where he wants to be yet but is working towards getting there. “Always, I feel like I’m not where I want to be, but I feel like I’m getting better obviously,” Donald said after a recent practice. “I did some good things today. I did some things that I didn’t like.
“Me personally, I didn’t think I had the type of practice that I wanted to, so I just got to watch the film and see what I did wrong or see what I need to do better. I’m always my worst critic, just got to continue to study, continue trying to find ways to be better.”
As Donald said, he is his own worst critic and has very high standards for himself. A substandard practice for him was still likely good enough for many others, but Donald isn’t like anyone else and it is what has made the Rams star an all-time great.
The Rams just finished up joint practices with the Las Vegas Raiders, which gives teams something different to go against. But Donald is simply trying to improve like he would in any other practice.
“Obviously just like any other day of practice, you’re going to get the slide protection so you getting it different here, little over slide with a two-hand puncher now, so trying to work different things to get off that and then a center clamp,” Donald added. “And so it’s good to watch, try to practice against, try to find ways to defeat it.
“Got to watch the film and see what I got to do better. But it isn’t anything but to get you better at the end of the day, so just like any other practice, you just work, try to work what you can work, obviously you’re going to get different looks, different things and you just try to find ways to clean up and get better.”
This mindset is what separates Aaron Donald from the rest and what will continue to drive him. If anyone has forgotten what he is capable of after a down year, the Rams star plans on reminding everyone.
