A formidable force, a wrecking ball, one of the most dominant defensive player of all time in NFL. All these attributes help describe how great defensive tackle Aaron Donald is. His out-of-the world work ethic brought him to five Pro Bowl appearances, he was selected four times to First-team All-Pro and found himself in selected company with winning back-to-back Defensive player of the year award.
Aaron was NFL leader in sacks, and Donald Rams flew as high as they could behind his ferocious defensive play along with Ndamukong Suh, and thanks to Sean McVay coaching, great young QB Jared Goff, dominant running back Todd Gurley and great receiving core lead by Brandin Cooks.
The best season ended with the Superbowl lost to New England Patriots, but Aaron Donald got his big contract extension. A six-year $135 made him, at least for a day, the highest paid defensive player in the history of the league. But Aaron Donald NFL success story began much earlier.
College breakthrough
Born and raised in northeast Pittsburgh suburb, as a kid, he was eating too much, and not practicing, so according to the Aaron Donald ESPN article, it took incentive from his dad Archie for Aaron to start working out. They developed practicing routine for two hours every day starting at 4.45 AM, and once Aaron began noticing changes to his body, he never looked back.
In his high-school career, Aaron displayed excellent skills and earned a spot in the All-State team. Although he received scholarship offers from all over the US, he enrolled in the hometown University of Pittsburgh.
Rocky freshmen season
His freshmen season, Donald had a reserve role, and appeared in 13 games and had two sacks. A 10-win season resulted in a head coach change. With Phil Bennet came more prominent role for Aaron in his second year.
Donald’s breakout season
With more play time, Donald showed his true talent recording 11 sacks, and 47 tackles with 16 of them for the loss. Panthers returned to the BBVA Compass Bowl despite having a losing 6-7 record.
College athletes have a professional relation to sport. They need all the help they could get. Thoughtful nutrition program, along with quality supplements, is required to keep the conditioning and stamina at the required level.
Junior and dominance in senior year
Donald was the centerpiece of Pittsburgh Panthers defense in his junior year. He had 64 tackles, and 18.5 were tackles for a loss. His sack numbers fell to 5.5.
His senior season was extremely productive with 59 tackles, a career-best 28.5 for loss, 11 sacks and four forced fumbles. ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American was headed to NFL draft as a guaranteed first rounder. Aaron work ethic and achievements are instructive for students, but young athletes need to accomplish college goals as well. Studying is essential to their academic success, while writing essays takes time and effort. For young sportsmen,they can check free essays on Gradesfixer that can help when games and training coincide with academic obligations.
Aaron Donald’s whole career is about setting the records. The same thing happened at the NFL Combine, where he ran a 40-yard dash for 4.68, which is the fastest time for a defensive tackle.
He was selected 13th overall in the first round by the St.Louis Rams. With 47 tackles, nine sacks and two forced fumbles Donald won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and was selected to 2015 Pro Bowl. His numbers improved from year to year until 2017 and 2018 back to back Defensive Player of the Year accolades accompanied with Super Bowl appearance.
Donald is coming from a sports family; his dad Archie was a talented player before tearing his kneecap in his freshman year. His older brother was an undrafted NFL player until retirement in 2012. After Aaron big contract extension, he called his parents and told them they could retire, which was Donald and his sibling childhood dream, emphasizing how significant role they played in their professional achievements.
Conclusion
LA Rams Aaron Donald is along with Khalil Mack and J.J.Watt regarded as an elite defensive player and difference maker on the field. Even though opposing offensive line double-team Donald on 60% of snaps, he is still able to outmaneuver players within 2.5 seconds at NFL-best pass-rush winning rate of 38.8 percent.
Aron Donald has already legendary work ethics. His conditioning starts a couple of weeks after season is over. Staying in training facilities for long hours, studying film and not taking vacations are all part of his pure athleticism and on-field prowess. He showed this level of dedication in college, and that is the main reason his career took off.
Guest article written by: Robert Everett is a long-term blog post and article Freelance writer. His culture-savvy and educational background, as well as contribution to various media outlets, helped him developed a personal style with the ability to write about different topics. He is not reluctant to share his vast knowledge and experience with the audience and to share his insights via articles, blogs, and social media accounts.
