It’s not hard to see Aaron Donald’s greatness when watching him on Sundays. He’s consistently beating the guy across from him, and he often slips past the two (or three) blockers assigned to him on a given play.
But facing him on the field is a different story. Just ask offensive lineman Steve Avila, the Rams’ top draft pick from this year.
Because Avila has been playing left guard in practice, he’s gotten the opportunity to block Donald – or at least try to. It’s not a test any rookie is expected to pass with flying colors and Avila may not be, but just getting a firsthand look at the perennial Pro Bowler has helped him realize Donald’s greatness. Avila told Adam Grosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News that he and his teammates at TCU used to wonder how many times they could lock up Donald if given 10 chances.
“I’m gonna tell you, it’s zero,” Avila said. “I was a victim of having that mentality in college with a couple of my buddies. I was like, ‘Eh, maybe two.’ The answer is zero.”
The Rams are taking a different approach to practice with Donald this year, sliding protection his way on just about every snap. That’s likely for two reasons: To make practice more realistic for Donald and to help the young offensive linemen against him.
Offensive line coach Ryan Wendell says Avila “still has a long way to go, like we all do,” but offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur respects the rookie going to battle with an all-time great every day in practice.
“If you’re made of the right stuff like Steve is, then you embrace that competition every day,” LaFleur said. “Yeah, [Donald]’s the best to ever do it inside and I truly believe that, and I think most people believe that. So for [Avila] just to go and battle, don’t try to make stuff up versus Aaron. You got to just go play your game.”
Avila is projected to be the Rams’ starting left guard this season, quickly earning first-team reps in the spring and now into training camp. He won’t face anyone as dominant as Donald this year so if he can hold is own in practice, he should be in decent shape.
