Aaron Donald was drafted 13th overall in the 2014 NFL draft but there isn’t a person on the planet that will argue there was a better player to come out of that class nine years ago. It was a talented group that included Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack, Zack Martin and Davante Adams, but no one can come close to touching Donald’s dominance.
He’s won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, been voted a Pro Bowl all nine years and has earned All-Pro honors seven times. His 103 career sacks are the most in franchise history and he ranks 34th on the NFL all-time list in that category, as well.
Amazingly, he has a career grade of 97.1 overall, according to Pro Football Focus, which is about as good as it gets in the NFL. It’s far and away the best grade of any player from the 2014 draft class, 3.4 points higher than Khalil Mack. He’s one of nine players from that class with a grade of 90.0 or better.
The highest career grades from the 2014 class 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ThNGpnwrL7
— PFF (@PFF) April 13, 2023
Donald has already assured that he will go down as one of the best defensive tackles in NFL history and through nine seasons, he’s established himself as one of the best defenders to ever take the field.
With a Super Bowl ring on his finger and three Defensive Player of the Year awards on his shelf, there isn’t much Donald hasn’t accomplished.
