When it comes to comparing Aaron Donald to his peers, it’s hardly a contest. He’s far and away the best interior defensive lineman in the league, even performing at a higher level than some of the best edge rushers.
In yet another poll, his place among the best of the best was once again made clear. ESPN polled NFL executives, coaches, scouts and players to rank the top 10 interior defensive linemen and Donald unsurprisingly was No. 1.
Of the 50 people polled, Donald received 50 first-place votes – a sweep of the category. According to Jeremy Fowler, who put together the poll, “nobody thought twice about taking anyone else No. 1.”
An NFC scout called Donald the “best player in football,” which is a sentiment held by many talent evaluators around NFL circles. Even when he doesn’t put up eye-popping numbers like the ones he had in 2018, he’s still impacting the game on just about every snap he plays.
Last season, Donald racked up 12.5 sacks despite being double-teamed on a league-high 295 snaps. He once again led the NFL in tackles for loss with 20, the second year in a row he’s done so.
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