By Jim Gehman, Player Engagement Insider
While some may have been surprised that University of Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a consensus first-team All-America, was still available for the Rams to select him with the 13th pick of the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, he was even more surprised that they chose him at all.
“I was shocked just because of all the talent they already had on the defensive line,” Donald said. “But I was excited to have the opportunity to go to an organization with a great coaching staff and a lot of great football players around that would help me build my game. So it definitely was a surprise, but it was a blessing at the same time.”
It didn’t take much time for Donald to feel right at home with his new team.
“The first thing (defensive line coach Mike) Waufle did was sit me down,” Donald recalled. “He said, ‘I’m going to be saying a lot of things in this meeting room, but I don’t want you to listen. I want you to just go out there and play football like how you’ve been doing it. I’m going to learn from you and see what you do.’ And being a young guy, and hearing that from your defensive line coach, it gives you a lot of confidence. That helped me a lot just hearing what he told me and having the guys be there for me and motivate me every day. It just made my job a lot easier.”
As a rookie, Donald had two jobs. One, of course, was to play defensive tackle where he made 12 starts, recorded nine sacks, earned the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year award and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl. And the second job was, well, more of a time-honored tradition.
“Every away game, I definitely did my rookie duties,” Donald said with a laugh. “I had to buy Popeye’s chicken for the whole defensive line. They told me where the closest one was and I just had to do it. Everybody wanted to eat and take some to go, so it definitely was a big order. But like I said, it’s your rookie duty. Everybody did it so I just had to pay my dues, too.”
Sans waiting in line on a Saturday evening for his teammates’ dinners, Donald’s second season was more impressive than his first. Named as an All-Pro, Donald finished the season with 11 sacks. He was honored by 101 Awards as NFC Defensive Player of the Year and selected to play in his second consecutive Pro Bowl, where he was one of the game’s captains.
“It’s just like a storybook so far,” Donald said. “It’s what I dreamed about. Growing up as a kid and working out with my dad (Archie), he always used to tell me, ‘Hard work’s going to pay off.’ And to actually see all this hard work I put into this game and to watch it pay off, it’s just been a blessing. But I ain’t played my best football yet in this league. I’ll continue to work. I’m just getting started.”
And what advice would he offer to players who will soon be drafted and hope to start their own careers in the NFL?
“Just be yourself,” Donald said. “They got this far for a reason. All the success that got you to this point, just keep building off it. That’s staying in the weight room. Don’t get comfortable, just continue to work.”