NFL.com predicts Rams DT Aaron Donald will take home DPOY honors in 2017

One NFL analyst predicts Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald will take home Defensive Player of the Year honors for the 2017 season.

Despite all of the chatter surrounding whether the Los Angeles Rams will reward Aaron Donald with a new contract before the 2017 NFL season officially gets underway, at least the team has every reason in the world to feel confident about what’s in store for their defensive superstar. In just three seasons, the former first-round pick has wasted no time making a strong case for himself as one of the league’s top defensive player, and believe it or not, this upcoming season could be Donald’s best year to date.

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In fact, NFL analyst Elliot Harrison recently made bold predictions for each team in the NFC, and when it comes to the Rams, he predicted Donald would end up winning the award for Defensive Player of the Year. While it may sound crazy for a player on a team coming off a four-win season to take home such high honors, the statistics alone by Donald shows how much of an impact he’s had on Los Angeles’ defense, and the best has yet to come.

Eight recorded sacks in 2016 may not seem like anything to brag about on paper, but when considering Donald managed to do so while leading the league with 31 quarterback hits despite all of the extra coverage from opponents shows how special of a defensive star he truly is. And with a new defensive mastermind in Wade Phillips officially on board calling the shots on defense, the excitement surrounding Donald’s fourth season with the Rams has hit a whole new level.

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Then again, Los Angeles better realize that if Harrison’s bold prediction about Donald winning Defensive Player of the Year is going to have any chance of coming true, the organization better hope this current contract situation doesn’t result in frustrations during training camp. The last thing the Rams can afford to see happen is Donald making the decision to holdout from camp once it begins at the end of July, so here’s to hoping the two sides can figure out a way to reach an agreement to make sure he shows up on time.