When it comes to preparing for a game, Aaron Donald does more than just hit the weight room and practice field. He spends hours upon hours in the film room watching not only his play from the last game, but also studying the offensive linemen he’ll be facing the next week.
He watches film as soon as it’s available after a game, typically that same night. Then on Monday and Tuesday, he studies tape of his opponents even more in-depth. He watches for tendencies, sometimes even replaying a single rep for five minutes because of something he noticed.
“I’m gonna study the guard, each guard, and then I’m gonna study the center,” Donald said on the “I Am Athlete” podcast. “And I’m just gonna watch them play. I’m just gonna study what they do, what they’re losing with, what they’re winning with, what little tendencies they can give.”
Watch this clip of Donald explaining his process of breaking down film, which is fascinating to listen to. And it’s a process he’s had since he was in college, watching film at 2 o’clock in the morning sometimes.
I was inputting the game info as a GA at Pitt after we lost a night game to FSU in 2013.
Walking the halls to leave the facility. And there was AD watching the game back already in the DL meeting room. It was like 2 in the morning and there he was. https://t.co/oYaY34rXy3
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) May 31, 2022
