Who's Up Next? Retired Los Angeles Rams Star Aaron Donald Reveals New Top NFL Defensive Player

If you ask Ex Los Angeles Rams legend Aaron Donald, only one player comes to mind in terms of the NFL's next top defensive player following his retirement.

Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens / Patrick Smith/GettyImages

During his 10-year career, Los Angeles Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald was arguably the best player in football, regardless of position.

Not only did he set the standard for players on both sides of the ball in terms of excellence, but he also brought a new breed of toughness and dedication to the forefront.

Unfortunately for the Rams, that spark is now gome, with Donald electing to hang up his helmet and retire from the NFL earlier this month.

But with Donald gone, who will step up and assume his position atop the NFL pecking order? Easier said than done. But, according to Donald himself, he has one player in mind for the job - Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt.

Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens / Patrick Smith/GettyImages

"I would say T.J. Watt. He's a guy that's consistently been doing it every single year," Donald said. "I felt like he should've won a couple more Defensive Player of the Year Awards, he kind of got snubbed a couple of times, I ain't gonna lie... He consistently dominates year in and year out, so that's a guy i felt like if anybody they need to be chasing him."

Since his rookie season in 2017, Watt has been just that as well, finishing with double-digit sacks in five of his seven seasons thus far, with the only exceptions being his first year and in 2022, when he played just 10 games.

In total, Watt has amassed 96.5 sacks - including 22.5 in 2021 - 107 tackles for loss, 27 forced fumbles and 401 tackles for the Steelers. He als also earned four First-Team All-Pro Nods, six Pro Bowls, and one AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.

In fact, Watt has even outpaced Donald in terms of stats, with Donald holding 85.5 through that same amount of time. Granted, Donald also plays in a totally different position on the interior of the defensive line.

Either way, Watt seems to be a logical choice to succeed Donald as the NFL's next top defender, and if he continues at this pace, perhaps even more.