Whenever Football fans engage in discussions about the greatest of all time (GOAT) in the sport, the focus tends to be predominantly on quarterbacks. In their defense, cornerback and quarterback are often considered to be the trickiest of all positions by several experts. Yet, as recently stated by Von Miler, Aaron Donald, the defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams, effortlessly finds his way into the GOAT debate.
Advertisement
While legends like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Patrick Mahomes remain a few of the most important names on the QB list, Aaron has earned the legendary status as well. Von Miller recently mentioned on I.Am.Athlete podcast that Aaron Donald is one of the finest across positions. As baffled as it may have left Brandon Marshall on the other side of the conversation, Miller actually made sense.
Von Miller refers to Aaron Donald as the most dominant player of all time
During the podcast, Von Miller goes out and about to say, “He(Aaron Donald) is the most dominant player I’ve played with.” Von wasted no time in putting the GOAT tag on Donald, recognizing his unrivaled skill and impact on the field. He then also went on to talk about Aaron’s mindset and conviction, further clarifying his position.
Miller said, “He [Aaron] never turned it off. He walks in and says I’m gonna play with grace.” The GOAT conversation began when Adam Pacman asked Miller to build his best line of defense. As one can expect, Rams’ superstar tackle then easily found his way into the conversation.
If Aaron Donald retired today, is he the GOAT defensive player? pic.twitter.com/KpmYry0PvH
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) June 6, 2022
Interestingly, Brandon Marshall looked a bit surprised by Miller’s GOAT choice. Not even “Peyton Manning,” Brandon interjected Miller while he was showering praise on Donald. However, even after that, Von doubled down on his claims about Aaron being the fiercest competitor across positions in the NFL. Surely, Rams fans would be mighty pleased by Miller’s appreciation for Aaron.
Aaron Donald’s sack mastery and QB hits puts him above everyone else
Aaron Donald has dominated the sack numbers, being the highest on the list from 2014 to 2018. Moreover, with 85.5 career sacks, he leads the NFL over the last seven seasons, outperforming players like Khalil Mack. Additionally, Aaron has also recorded as many as 201 QB hits in the last seven years. He stands at a difference of 27 QB hits from J.J. Watt, who is second on the list.
Donald’s average of 28.7 QB hits per season is also remarkable. With an astounding 131 TFL since 2014, Donald holds a lead of 30 tackles over the next contender, Cam Jordan. However, the G.O.A.T. faces competition from active players like Von Miller, who is in fact a major Aaron fan himself.
Aaron played a massive role in Rams’ Super Bowl triumph last year and yet again, the team from Los Angeles will greatly depend on his form in the coming season.
