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http://www.espn.com/blog/new-orlean...imate-model-for-saints-rookie-sheldon-rankins
METAIRIE, La. – Sheldon Rankins laughed off the question, of course, when asked somewhat tongue-in-cheek if he is the “next Aaron Donald.”
“I would never dub myself that title,” the New Orleans Saints rookie defensive tackle said.
But, yes, of course, Donald is exactly the type of player that Rankins strives to become.
Los Angeles Rams with the 13th overall pick in 2014 – and has since become one of the NFL's elite defensive players.
In fact, Donald might be battling Saints quarterback Drew Brees for the unofficial title of best player on the field when the teams meet up Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
“I think he’s a hell of a player. I watch him every chance I get,” Rankins said. “Not only because of the obvious height and quickness and things like that, but he’s just a hell of a player. So if someone else wants to dub me that, then thank you. But I won’t.
“I think I try to impact the game in a lot of ways. When you turn on the tape of him, it’s not always tackles for loss and sacks. He may get into the backfield and knock off pullers, get into the backfield and throw a running back into a quarterback, make the quarterback move his feet and somebody else gets a sack. So just being a disruptive player, I think I’ve prided myself on that my entire career and look forward to trying to carry that to this NFL level.”
Donald has five sacks this year and 25 in 42 career games. He leads the NFL with 13 tackles for loss and 22 quarterback hits. He has 53 and 72 of those, respectively, in his career. He also ranks among the NFL leaders in QB pressures, and the scouting service Pro Football Focus touted him as the NFL’s No. 1-rated player last year – an honor he is contending for again this year.
Donald was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014, a first-team All-Pro in 2015 and a Pro Bowler each year.
“He is outstanding. Just pick a game, put it on,” Saints coach Asshole Face said. “Different than television copies, just pick a coaches’ tape copy and put it on and you watch him. You combine all of these things -- you combine extremely athletic and then you combine smart and then you would say his effort and energy ...
“When you get that combination of all those critical factors, you end up with an elite player.”
Payton said it’s harder to game-plan around an interior disruptor like Donald than it is an edge rusher, because it’s not as easy to move the direction of the play away from him or add running backs and tight ends as extra blockers.
Fortunately for the Saints, center Max Unger has arguably been playing at a Pro Bowl level himself this year. But he'll need help.
“He might be one of the most talented interior guys there is,” Brees said. “Just his energy, his motor and then his ability -- both in the run game and the pass game -- to be extremely disruptive. He’s a guy that you have to have a plan for in both phases. You know that he’s going to make some plays. You just hope to contain him as much as you can.”
Rankins has played only three games so far, since he spent the first half of the season on injured reserve with a broken fibula suffered in training camp. He has one sack and eight tackles while rotating with veteran Nick Fairley and fellow rookie David Onyemata.
But he has flashed that disruptive ability that led him to 14 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss over his final two years at Louisville.
“Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely,” Payton said. “This past week in Carolina, he had some outstanding rush snaps. So we’re encouraged, and I think it’s helping our pass rush in general.”
Rankins said he feels like he is playing well and thing are starting to slow down for him. He said he was “shaking off the rust” for a couple weeks but was especially encouraged by the way he responded to playing two games in five days last week.
“I think the quick turnaround and being able to go out there and be productive was good for me as far as building confidence in my leg and my conditioning and things like that,” Rankins said. “I look forward to keep chipping away at the rock.”
METAIRIE, La. – Sheldon Rankins laughed off the question, of course, when asked somewhat tongue-in-cheek if he is the “next Aaron Donald.”
“I would never dub myself that title,” the New Orleans Saints rookie defensive tackle said.
But, yes, of course, Donald is exactly the type of player that Rankins strives to become.
Los Angeles Rams with the 13th overall pick in 2014 – and has since become one of the NFL's elite defensive players.
In fact, Donald might be battling Saints quarterback Drew Brees for the unofficial title of best player on the field when the teams meet up Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
“I think he’s a hell of a player. I watch him every chance I get,” Rankins said. “Not only because of the obvious height and quickness and things like that, but he’s just a hell of a player. So if someone else wants to dub me that, then thank you. But I won’t.
“I think I try to impact the game in a lot of ways. When you turn on the tape of him, it’s not always tackles for loss and sacks. He may get into the backfield and knock off pullers, get into the backfield and throw a running back into a quarterback, make the quarterback move his feet and somebody else gets a sack. So just being a disruptive player, I think I’ve prided myself on that my entire career and look forward to trying to carry that to this NFL level.”
Donald has five sacks this year and 25 in 42 career games. He leads the NFL with 13 tackles for loss and 22 quarterback hits. He has 53 and 72 of those, respectively, in his career. He also ranks among the NFL leaders in QB pressures, and the scouting service Pro Football Focus touted him as the NFL’s No. 1-rated player last year – an honor he is contending for again this year.
Donald was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014, a first-team All-Pro in 2015 and a Pro Bowler each year.
“He is outstanding. Just pick a game, put it on,” Saints coach Asshole Face said. “Different than television copies, just pick a coaches’ tape copy and put it on and you watch him. You combine all of these things -- you combine extremely athletic and then you combine smart and then you would say his effort and energy ...
“When you get that combination of all those critical factors, you end up with an elite player.”
Payton said it’s harder to game-plan around an interior disruptor like Donald than it is an edge rusher, because it’s not as easy to move the direction of the play away from him or add running backs and tight ends as extra blockers.
Fortunately for the Saints, center Max Unger has arguably been playing at a Pro Bowl level himself this year. But he'll need help.
“He might be one of the most talented interior guys there is,” Brees said. “Just his energy, his motor and then his ability -- both in the run game and the pass game -- to be extremely disruptive. He’s a guy that you have to have a plan for in both phases. You know that he’s going to make some plays. You just hope to contain him as much as you can.”
Rankins has played only three games so far, since he spent the first half of the season on injured reserve with a broken fibula suffered in training camp. He has one sack and eight tackles while rotating with veteran Nick Fairley and fellow rookie David Onyemata.
But he has flashed that disruptive ability that led him to 14 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss over his final two years at Louisville.
“Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely,” Payton said. “This past week in Carolina, he had some outstanding rush snaps. So we’re encouraged, and I think it’s helping our pass rush in general.”
Rankins said he feels like he is playing well and thing are starting to slow down for him. He said he was “shaking off the rust” for a couple weeks but was especially encouraged by the way he responded to playing two games in five days last week.
“I think the quick turnaround and being able to go out there and be productive was good for me as far as building confidence in my leg and my conditioning and things like that,” Rankins said. “I look forward to keep chipping away at the rock.”
