Expect LA Rams DT Aaron Donald to be the next Hall of Fame inductee

Aaron Donald will become the next LA Rams great defender enshrined in Canton

Every LA Rams fans know the rich history of talented defensive linemen throughout franchise history. DL Deacon Jones was the anchor of the Fearsome Foursome of the 1960s. They were an awesome wrecking crew on Sundays.

D Lamar Lundy and Jones played the defensive ends. Merlin Olsen and Rosey Grier were the inside tackles. Not many Rams defenders have been able to match their ferocious tenacity, until now.

Aaron Donald would have a starter on those Foursome Rams teams. Players of Donald’s caliber are very rare. He might be considered a generational gem, by NFL standards.

For example, Leonard Little played 147 games in the Rams uniform. He is the franchise leader in sacks with 87.5. Donald will shatter that benchmark for sacks in Rams history.

Currently, Donald has played 94 games since being drafted in the 2014 NFL Draft. He was selected as the thirteenth overall selection in that draft. He has collected 72 sacks to place third on the Rams all-time franchise list.

Donald has produced double digit sacks for all but two of his NFL seasons. In 2014, as a rookie, he had nine sacks. Two years later, in 2016, he had eight sacks. He has averaged 12 sacks per season.

Donald is on pace to become the NFL’s all time sack leader. Bruce Smith collected 200 sacks in 18 seasons. Suppose Donald plays 12 more healthy seasons and averages 12 sacks per year, he will shatter Smith’s record.

Fans, you are witnessing an all-time great. Pro Football Focus named him as the 2019 Defensive pass rusher of the year. Stu Jackson of therams.com writes the following:

"PFF cited Donald’s 80 total pressures generated – most for an interior defensive lineman – as one of the reasons why he earned the award, as well as what he accomplished despite facing double-teams on 59.6 percent of his pass rushes."

LA has Donald under contract through the 2024 NFL season. The Rams should keep him on the roster as long as Donald wants to play. When his playing days are over, expect him to be a first ballot hall of fame inductee.

The Rams have plenty of needs this off-season, but defensive tackle is certainly not one.  For the foreseeable future, that spot is Aaron Donald‘s.