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Comparing Aaron Donald to other top rookies
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14682/comparing-aaron-donald-to-other-top-rookies
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Last week, we took a cursory look at St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald's case to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year, with strong words of support from coach Jeff Fisher.
Donald notched his fifth sack in as many games on Thursday night against Arizona, giving him eight on the season. He leads all rookies in that category and is tied for third among all defensive tackles in that category. According to Pro Football Focus, Donald's 33 "stops" (plays that are considered an offensive failure including sacks) is tied for the most among defensive tackles and, for what it's worth, his grade of 32.4 overall is also first at the position.
Clearly, Donald already has a compelling case to win the award but that doesn't mean he's guaranteed to win it. That's especially true considering that Donald doesn't play a position where it's easy to rack up big statistics. I would argue that makes what Donald has done even more impressive but simply looking at raw numbers could work against him.
With that in mind, here's a look at some of Donald's competitors and how they have performed:
San Francisco LB Chris Borland -- He was a tackling machine at Wisconsin, and he has been one for the 49ers since stepping into the starting lineup. Borland has 99 tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery, two interceptions and two pass breakups all while playing fewer snaps than the others listed here. He's also chipped in on special teams. He's a stout run defender but hasn't offered much in the way of splash plays or pass rush. He's going to be a headache for the Rams in the NFC West for years to come, but he probably doesn't have the overall resume to win the award.
Baltimore LB C.J. Mosley -- Mosley is a big, physical tackling machine with 117 stops, three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, two interceptions and five pass breakups. Mosley has been excellent against the run and solid rushing the passer and been a major boon to a Baltimore defense that has undergone a major makeover in the past two seasons. He's probably the leader in the clubhouse right now because he has been so consistent over the course of the entire season.
Oakland LB Khalil Mack -- In terms of pure numbers, Mack probably falls short to the others listed here but, like Donald, numbers don't tell the whole story when it comes to the rookie out of Buffalo. Mack has 68 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and three pass breakups. Mack is already the best player on Oakland's defense but that hasn't meant much for a team that has struggled as much as the Raiders. He's a dominant run defender and has created plenty of pressure even when it hasn't resulted in sacks. He might be the favorite among those who closely watch the tape, but his numbers might not stack up when it's all said and done.
Minnesota LB Anthony Barr -- Barr's resume bears a striking resemblance to Mack as he has posted 70 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two pass breakups and a touchdown. In fact, Barr has probably had more splash plays than the others listed here, but he also hasn't been quite as consistent. He has been just OK in coverage and his run defense has been about average, but it's important to note he's doing it as a 4-3 outside linebacker.
Right now, this race is probably too close to call with the final two weeks offering everybody a chance to make a strong closing argument. Donald and Borland have played fewer snaps than the others, which could work against them in terms of sample size but for them considering their production per snap.
If Donald can get a sack in each of the final two games to finish the year with one in each of the final seven games and get to 10 on the season, it could be enough to earn him the award.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14682/comparing-aaron-donald-to-other-top-rookies
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Last week, we took a cursory look at St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald's case to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year, with strong words of support from coach Jeff Fisher.
Donald notched his fifth sack in as many games on Thursday night against Arizona, giving him eight on the season. He leads all rookies in that category and is tied for third among all defensive tackles in that category. According to Pro Football Focus, Donald's 33 "stops" (plays that are considered an offensive failure including sacks) is tied for the most among defensive tackles and, for what it's worth, his grade of 32.4 overall is also first at the position.
Clearly, Donald already has a compelling case to win the award but that doesn't mean he's guaranteed to win it. That's especially true considering that Donald doesn't play a position where it's easy to rack up big statistics. I would argue that makes what Donald has done even more impressive but simply looking at raw numbers could work against him.
With that in mind, here's a look at some of Donald's competitors and how they have performed:
San Francisco LB Chris Borland -- He was a tackling machine at Wisconsin, and he has been one for the 49ers since stepping into the starting lineup. Borland has 99 tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery, two interceptions and two pass breakups all while playing fewer snaps than the others listed here. He's also chipped in on special teams. He's a stout run defender but hasn't offered much in the way of splash plays or pass rush. He's going to be a headache for the Rams in the NFC West for years to come, but he probably doesn't have the overall resume to win the award.
Baltimore LB C.J. Mosley -- Mosley is a big, physical tackling machine with 117 stops, three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, two interceptions and five pass breakups. Mosley has been excellent against the run and solid rushing the passer and been a major boon to a Baltimore defense that has undergone a major makeover in the past two seasons. He's probably the leader in the clubhouse right now because he has been so consistent over the course of the entire season.
Oakland LB Khalil Mack -- In terms of pure numbers, Mack probably falls short to the others listed here but, like Donald, numbers don't tell the whole story when it comes to the rookie out of Buffalo. Mack has 68 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and three pass breakups. Mack is already the best player on Oakland's defense but that hasn't meant much for a team that has struggled as much as the Raiders. He's a dominant run defender and has created plenty of pressure even when it hasn't resulted in sacks. He might be the favorite among those who closely watch the tape, but his numbers might not stack up when it's all said and done.
Minnesota LB Anthony Barr -- Barr's resume bears a striking resemblance to Mack as he has posted 70 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two pass breakups and a touchdown. In fact, Barr has probably had more splash plays than the others listed here, but he also hasn't been quite as consistent. He has been just OK in coverage and his run defense has been about average, but it's important to note he's doing it as a 4-3 outside linebacker.
Right now, this race is probably too close to call with the final two weeks offering everybody a chance to make a strong closing argument. Donald and Borland have played fewer snaps than the others, which could work against them in terms of sample size but for them considering their production per snap.
If Donald can get a sack in each of the final two games to finish the year with one in each of the final seven games and get to 10 on the season, it could be enough to earn him the award.