Pro Football Focus announced on Monday that Aaron Donald, a defensive lineman for the Los Angeles Rams and former Pitt star, is the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year. The analytics website praised Donald based on a number of metrics, including his 80 total pressures and improved run defence.
“Even though we can admit that the distance between him and the field was smaller this year than in previous seasons, Aaron Donald was once again the best defender in football this season,” PFF’s Sam Monson stated. “This season, Donald led all interior defenders in total pressures (81)—eighteen more than any other interior player. That’s incredible, but after a season in which he outscored every defender by a similar amount, it
“It would be incorrect to use Donald’s pursuit of the single-season sack record from a year ago as a benchmark for his performance,” Monson went on. The outlier of all outliers is an inside pass-rusher who comes even close to breaking the single-season sack record. Not only was Donald’s season the previous year’s Defensive Player of the Year, but it was also one of the best individual seasons any player at any position has ever had in the league.
With a 93.7 overall grade from PFF for the 2019 season, Donald lead all NFL inside defenders. For the past five years, the Rams star has led the interior lineman in the NFL in terms of overall grade. During this season, he
Aaron Donald was once again the best defender in football this season, even if we can acknowledge that the gap between him and the field was closer this year than in seasons past,” wrote Sam Monson of PFF. “Donald led all interior defenders in total pressures this season, with 80, which was 18 more than any other interior player. That’s phenomenal, but coming from a season in which he led all defenders by around the same margin, it looks somehow underwhelming.”
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