Film Review: Breaking Down Los Angeles Rams Defensive Tackle Aaron Donald's Dominance
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has quickly become one of the game’s best interior defenders, and continues to be on the inside what J.J. Watt is on the edge. Let’s take a deeper look into what makes my fifth-rated prospect in the 2014 draft a complete defensive tackle.
His pass-rushing prowess is matched by his ability to stop the run as he registered 69 tackles in 2015 with another 22 that came behind the line of scrimmage; his 10.9 run-stop percentage ranked fifth among all defensive tackles, via Pro Football Focus.
Donald was seen as a ‘tweener’ coming out of Pittsburgh at 6-foot-1, 285 pounds with an already maxed-out frame, but his quickness and athleticism is unmatched. Here, the center and guard are working a pin-pull assignment to shield Donald from making a backside play, but Donald utilizes his quick first step, strength, and balance to fight through the center before showing the requisite bend to redirect and close on running back Frank Gore and make a stop behind the line.
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Lined up as a 4i, Donald’s initial punch-done with an ideal aiming point-stuns the right tackle before using active hands to create separation. In turn, this allows him to read run and locate the running back before shedding his block and making another stop.
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Racking up nine sacks as a rookie defensive tackle is a staggering amount, but tallying 11 as a tackle facing constant double teams is rather unprecedented. The play above shines a light on Donald’s low center of gravity and strength: standing 6-foot-1 allows him to play naturally low.
He executes a swift swim move to propel himself up-field before executing a strong rip to get the center out of position; his combination of balance and strength prevents the center from recovering to drive Donald off his designated path. From there, Donald’s plus athleticism and lateral agility allows him to reach and make a play on Colin Kaepernick for the sack.
Interior pressure is more detrimental to a passer than heat off the edge due to the fact that it interrupts the structure of the concept and a quarterback’s throwing lanes. His lack of size is compensated by his aforementioned traits, which permits the Rams to shuffle him around the line, even lining him up as a 0-Tech in the video above.
Donald’s quickness is a clear commonality in his film, but here he displays the ability to convert that into power by striking the center and immediately collapsing the pocket in the middle. He continues to win with leverage and strength before quickly shedding and registering another sack.
Watt (rightfully so) has earned the distinction as the game’s most disruptive player, but Donald’s ability on the inside makes him one of the league’s most coveted talents-and a close second to Watt.
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