Aaron Donald has only been in the league for six years, but that didn’t stop him from being recognized as one of the best players in the NFL over the last decade. The Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed its 2010s All-Decade Team and Donald was one of two Rams players selected.
The other was four-time Pro Bowler Johnny Hekker, who’s been in the NFL since 2012.
Donald has been absolutely dominant since first stepping foot on an NFL field, making six Pro Bowls and being named a first-team All-Pro five times. He’s also won Defensive Player of the Year twice and was Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014.
There was no doubt about Donald’s inclusion on the All-Decade Team, either, as he was one of eight unanimous selections. Hekker was one of two punters selected, with the other being Shane Lechler.
Hekker led the league in punts once and punt yards twice, but his usage has dropped precipitously since Sean McVay arrived. He’s attempted just 174 punts in the last three years, which is 20 fewer than he had in just 2015 and 2016 combined.
Other former Rams who made the All-Decade team for 2010 were Ndamukong Suh and Eric Weddle, who each played once season in L.A. The NFC West as a whole was well-represented, with Bobby Wagner, Patrick Willis, Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Tyrann Mathieu, Chandler Jones all making it on defense.
The quarterbacks selected were Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, while four running backs also made it: Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch, LeSean McCoy and Adrian Peterson. Todd Gurley had a case for the team but was not selected.