Aaron Donald favored to win Defensive Player of the Year

Former Pitt star and current Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year after the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and despite getting passed over for the 2019 honor, Donald is favored to win it once more in 2020.

MGM places Donald’s odds of winning the award at +750. Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack has the second-best odds at +1,000, and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt comes in at third with +1,200 odds.

If Donald were to win Defensive Player of the Year honors for the third time, he would join elite company, as only Watt and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor have accomplished the feat before.

Last year, Donald saw his production diminish, as he was coming off of the best season of his career. However, he still managed to accrue a league-high 20 tackles for losses and posted the second-highest sack total of his career, with 12.5 in the 2019 season.

The most recent Defensive Player of the Year was New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who led the league with six interceptions and 20 pass breakups in 2019. The oddsmakers at MGM place his chances of repeating at +1,500.