For any young pass rushers or defensive backs coming up in the NFL, there’s no better place to study than Los Angeles where the Rams employ both Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.
Donald is widely regarded as one of — if not the — greatest defensive player in league history while Ramsey is often voted as the best defensive back in the league. Together, they form the backbone of a Rams defense that helped them seal a win in Super Bowl LVI.
For players like Micah Parsons, Donald is the pass-rushing standard and the young Dallas Cowboys star believes he and cornerback Trevon Diggs can eventually reach the same heights as Donald and Ramsey, via Jori Epstein of USA Today:
“It’s hard to say we’re the best because I know we’re young and we still make mistakes,” Parsons told USA TODAY Sports over Zoom recently. “It’s hard to put us over (Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman) Aaron Donald, the greatest defensive player in history, with Jalen Ramsey.
“So I won’t do it yet. But I think we can become them or even better if we learn together and stick together.”
As far as young tandems go, Parsons and Diggs have a case as the best ones as they revitalized Dallas’ defensive unit. As a rookie, Parsons established himself as one of the best pass rushers while Diggs led the NFL in interceptions. The two playmakers wreak havoc on the field and it is easy to see the comparisons to Donald and Ramsey.
Parsons’ confidence in himself and Diggs should be applauded but being as good or even better than Donald and Ramsey is a tall task for anyone no matter how talented they are. Perhaps they do hit that level at some point in their careers, but for now Donald and Ramsey have to be considered the best defensive duo in the NFL.
