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Defensive Player of the Year:
Aaron Donald
I believe there are a few really deserving candidates for this award, but I just don’t know how you can go against the reigning award winner. Aaron Donald leads the league with ten sacks for a negative 87 yards, which is 28 more than the next-closest, meaning he beats the guy in front of him clean and takes the quarterback down at the top of his dropback for the most part instead of one of his teammates moving the QB off the spot and the Rams’ D-tackle cleaning up.
Donald also tops in tackles for loss with 12 as well as total pressures with 54 and once again has Pro Football Focus’ highest grade of any player in football. What is scary about all of this is the fact he is only getting started. Through the first three weeks, he didn’t record a single sack and just one quarterback hit. He has done all that damage over the next five matchups and he has been a thorn in the eyes of every signal-caller he has faced. When he is in one-on-one situations with a blocker, whether that is in the run or pass game, he exposes that guy and makes the offense pay every single time. He can win with power, quickness and arm technique to make that opponent whiff and either get into the quarterback’s face or go backdoor against running plays.
When O-lines slide his way, he singles up his teammates, like Ndamokung Suh who they like to rush off the opposing edge. My favorite play of him came on a zone-play to his side, where he stood up the blocker and forced the running back to cut inside, but then pulled himself back into that gap, punched the ball out and recovered it immediately. He does superhuman stuff in his highlight package, but what you see in terms of him influencing the game on a consistent basis in the All-22 is even better.
Also considered: J.J. Watt, Khalil Mack, D.J. Swearinger
