Rams’ Aaron Donald: Slipping From Status as NFL’s Best Player?

Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams remains the best defensive tackle in the NFL. But is the future Hall of Famer still one of the best players in the sport regardless of position?

A year ago, the Los Angeles Rams were the defending Super Bowl champions, and after a dominant postseason run, defensive tackle Aaron Donald was pretty universally seen as the best overall player in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, of course, reclaimed that title in 2022. But after being limited to 11 games last season, does Donald still find himself among the very best players at any position? 

The answer, according to Pro Football Focus, is yes. PFF recently ranked their top 50 players in the NFL ahead of the 2023 season, and while Mahomes claimed the top spot, Donald still came in at No. 2. 

"Reports of Donald's demise have been greatly exaggerated," PFF wrote. "For the first time in his NFL career, he dealt with a significant injury, limiting him to just 11 games. Despite that, he still finished 2022 with a 90.5 PFF grade and 40 total pressures. When you turn on the tape, you see him also the total focus of the opposing offense, dedicating an absurd amount of extra attention to him or simply trying to eliminate him as a factor with play calls of quick passing or moving pockets. Last year was maybe the worst season we have seen from Donald in the NFL, and it was still elite." 

Even if he's no longer the best player in the NFL, it's important to put into perspective just how good you have to be to get ranked as the second-best player in the sport. The next two players ranked behind Donald were San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, two certain future Hall of Famers still playing at incredibly high levels themselves. Placing Donald at No. 2 isn't some sort of career achievement award. 

What may work against Donald subconsciously for some is that he's flirted with retirement in each of the last two offseasons, before ultimately deciding to return. Some observers likely assume that even if Donald is still productive, he must have taken a relatively significant step back and/or be pretty old to be thinking about retirement. But Donald just recently turned 32 and was a First-Team All-Pro as recently as 2021. He could probably play five more seasons if he decided to. 

Whether Donald, receiver Cooper Kupp and quarterback Matthew Stafford can help carry a top-heavy Rams team back to the postseason after a 5-12 campaign a season ago is perhaps another story. 

You can follow Tim Kelly @TimKellySports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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