Rams & # 039; Aaron Donald leads AP defensive tackle ranking again
Rams & # 039; Aaron Donald leads AP defensive tackle ranking again
Many NFL opponents have had a game plan haunted by the speed, strength and instinct of Aaron Donald in his still five full seasons in the league.
The 6-foot-1, 280-pound leader of the Los Angeles Rams defense was a unanimous choice for the best defensive tackle in the NFL by a panel of 10 writers from The Associated Press in this week's edition of position rankings .
"He has been as disturbing as anyone in the interior since joining the league," said Josh Dubow of the AP, who resides in the Bay Area.
Just ask the Minnesota Vikings.
The Rams had a 10-point lead over Minnesota last month, but the Vikings were in motion when the fourth quarter began and Kirk Cousins backed down.
Donald jumped off the line to face his blocker, before releasing himself into the guard with a swim of textbooks. After pushing the center aside, Donald rushed forward and swallowed the quarterback with a bear hug for a 10-yard loss and an omen for a punt.
The Vikings still had an opportunity later in the game, losing just one touchdown, when Cousins settled into his pocket looking to pass. Donald turned right this time to squeeze between the guard and the tackle, thwarting a desperate attempt at the center to slow him down while closing in another bag. After throwing Cousins onto the turf, Donald simply pointed to his right bicep for his final celebration.
"At the beginning of the game, I thought the protection was good," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said after the 38-31 loss to the Rams last month, "and then Donald took it a bit at the end." .
Donald also topped the AP ranking for defensive tackles last year.
After staying away from the offseason workouts for the second year in a row to protest the lack of a new contract, the Rams finally gave in at the end of the preseason with a six-year extension to Donald for $ 135 million.
For the Rams (5-0), one of the two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL, Donald's defensive tackle tandem and newcomer Ndamukong Suh has the potential to change a game as much as their high-octane offense.
"It's almost unfair how the Rams have stocked up on their defensive line," said Teresa Walker of the AP, who resides in Nashville.
Suh finished fifth in the vote released on Friday, after Geno Atkins of the Cincinnati Bengals, Fletcher Cox of the Philadelphia Eagles and Gerald McCoy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That is quite the quintet of experience, power and speed in a position that is as full of elite players as anyone in the league these days. Donald, Atkins, Cox, McCoy and Suh have played a combined total of 39 seasons and have been selected for the Pro Bowl 24 times, with a cumulative total of 250½ sacks in their career that play a role that is based on stopping the race first .
Suh and McCoy were the second and third overall picks in the 2010 draft. Atkins, who was in the fourth round that year, is in the top two with Donald in sacks, quarterback pressures and quarterback hits in the last five seasons. This year, Atkins is tied for the league lead with six sacks.
"He does not seek attention, but his constant excellence demands it," said Simmi Buttar, of the AP, who resides in New York.
The only new addition to the top 10 of last year's standings was Jurrell Casey of the Tennessee Titans, who finished sixth.
Kawann Short of the Carolina Panthers was seventh, DeForest Buckner of the San Francisco 49ers was eighth, Linval Joseph of the Minnesota Vikings was ninth and Damon Harrison of the New York Giants was tenth. Yes, that was Joseph rumbling on the field last week with a loose ball that he caught in the air and returned 64 yards for a touchdown.
"He could be the fastest 330-pound player in sports," said Rob Maaddi, of the AP, who resides in Philadelphia.
Now that he is a true defensive tackle.
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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP-NFL
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