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We're only a short time removed from Aaron Donald's selection by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the NFL Draft, but the former Pitt star is already receiving a lot of praise.
The Rams, more specifically, are being lauded for their pick of Donald. CBS Sports chimed in early, grading the team's pick of him as an 'A'.
Sports Illustrated's site isn't far behind, giving the pick an A-:
Despite being a tad undersized, Donald racked up tackles-for-loss and sacks while moving all over Pittsburgh’s line in college. More than that, his coaches praised him for being an absolute workhorse on and off the field, something Jeff Fisher and Les Snead surely took notice of during their draft prep.
He did most of the damage in college on his own, fighting through multiple blockers to make plays. With Quinn and Long drawing heavy attention outside, Donald might be a nightmare for interior lines.
In addition, even Skip Bayless thinks Donald is a steal:
I love Aaron Donald. Consider him a steal at this point. Rams, rising. Just not sold on QB.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 9, 2014
Lastly, John Clayton says the pick could give St. Louis the best offensive line in the entire NFL ... pretty sure he meant defensive line, but then again, Donald's so good maybe he CAN play offense, too:
Adding Aaron Donald could give the Rams the best offensive line in football.
— John Clayton (@ClaytonESPN) May 9, 2014
Jokes aside, the biggest complaint I've seen about the pick is that the Rams have more pressing needs since their line is already solid, as Bayless and that SI article say. Nothing there really about Donald's ability and it looks like St. Louis just went for the best player available.
More on Donald, Tom Savage, Devin Street, and others later. But for now, the early returns on the pick of Donald at No. 13 by the Rams seem to be largely positive. Be sure to check out our NFL Draft page with stories on all of Pitt's potential draftees.
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