2014 NFL Draft grades: St. Louis Rams select Aaron Donald
By Jack Crosby
After going big with their first pick in the 1st round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the selection of offensive tackle Greg Robinson, the St. Louis Rams stayed with size with their second pick at no. 13 overall with the selection of Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
In four years for the Panthers, Donald was one of the more terrifying forces in college football along the defensive front line, although with the Panthers not getting much publicity, Donald wasn’t given a ton of credit throughout his college career.
However, his numbers speak for themselves. In four years at Pitt, Donald compiled 181 tackles including 66 for loss with 29.5 sacks. Just last season alone, Pitt’s first season in the ACC, Donald recorded 59 tackles with 28.5 for loss and 11 sacks.
The four-year college defensive stud is one of the quickest defensive tackles off the ball that you will see and can get in the backfield faster than some defensive ends at times.
This was an amazing selection by the Rams. There were a lot of folks clamoring for Johnny Manziel, however Jeff Fisher knows that he needs some more help in that defense that already includes defensive end Chris Long and LB James Laurinaitis. Donald now takes a lot of pressure off of those guys and has the potential to see some Pro Bowls down the road.
Grade: A