Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primer: Aaron Donkor

With little football experience under his belt, it's hard to see Aaron Donkor stepping into the NFL and grabbing ahold of a 53-man roster spot on one of the league's top-tier franchises right away. But he's done nothing but beat the odds to this point and the athletic traits are undeniable, giving him a great shot to be the Seahawks' next feel-good story.

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason programs in full swing across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the league in less than two months. To celebrate the new incoming season, we will be breaking down the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2021 campaign.

Aaron Donkor, Linebacker

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 240 pounds

2020 Stats: N/A

Hailing from Germany, Donkor has been playing football for just a little over half a decade. Once a basketball product, the 26-year old began his football career with the Düsseldorf Panther of the German Football League before heading stateside to play junior college ball for the New Mexico Military Institute. Registering 11.5 sacks in just four games there, Arkansas State came calling with an opportunity to play at the Division I level. While he didn't manage to put up any eye-catching numbers in six games there, he still impressed with his work ethic and adaptability. However, once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he was forced back home. Unsure of what his next move would be, he submitted his name for the NFL's International Player Pathway Program and began training for the game's biggest stage, eventually blowing scouts away with his incredible testing at regional combines. Selected as one of the four names to be allocated via the program, he landed with a Seahawks team that's ecstatic to have him and will give him every shot to live out his NFL dreams. 

Best Case Scenario: As long as the Seahawks' linebacking corps stays relatively the same between now and the end of August, Donkor has as good of a shot as any to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. If he impresses on special teams in the preseason, he could certainly get there. 

Worst Case Scenario: If he appears to be as raw as expected, Donkor will likely stay on the team's practice squad for the year. As part of the program, the Seahawks are given a practice squad exemption for Donkor, who wouldn't count against the team's allotted 12 players. So there isn't really a reason for them to cut him unless he's absolutely dreadful, though he won't be able to be activated by the team for the entire 2021 season if they utilize the exemption.

What to Expect in 2021: The Seahawks are really excited by Donkor, who seems fully aware of what it'll take to make the team. As mentioned, he'll have every shot to do just that under the team's current structure, though everything could instantly change if the team comes to an agreement with free agent K.J. Wright. In that case, it would essentially push every linebacker behind the team's starters down a spot. That's bad news for Donkor, who's more likely to beat out Jon Rhattigan or Nate Evans for a spot than Cody Barton or Ben Burr-Kirven.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primers

Alex McGough | Darvin Kidsy | Greg Eiland | Joshua Moon | Cam Sutton | Walter Palmore | Jared Hocker | Brad Lundblade | Aashari Crosswell | Myles Adams | Jon Rhattigan | Aaron Fuller | Bryan Mills I Jake Curhan | Jarrod Hewitt | Connor Wedington | Nate Evans | Danny Etling | John Ursua | Gavin Heslop | Pier-Oliver Lestage | Tamorrion Terry | Tommy Champion | Cody Thompson | Josh Johnson | Saivion Smith | Jordan Miller