Aaron Donald retires: Is the Rams legend the best DT ever?

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time first-team All-Pro, is retiring. Donald, who turns 33 in May, has reportedly considered retirement over the past two offseasons, but this is a player leaving while still leading the league at his position .

Donald will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame with no questions asked, but perhaps the best question in his retirement will be whether he is the greatest defensive tackle to ever play in the NFL. I think the answer is yes. The only argument is whether you prefer the longevity of someone like Hall of Famer Alan Page, who played in the league for 15 seasons for the Vikings and Bears instead of 10 like Donald.

Making historical comparisons for Donald can be difficult because many other great interior defensive linemen played before the era of advanced statistics. There is no pressure or Pro Football Focus grades for players like Warren Sapp and Cortez Kennedy. We don't even have reliable tackling numbers for pre-1990s players like Page and Cowboys Hall of Famer Bob Lilly. Still, as far as we know, no defensive tackle has ever had a 10-year high like the one Donald had with the Rams.

Only two other players have won Defensive Player of the Year three times: JJ Watt and Lawrence Taylor. Only two other defensive linemen have made the Associated Press All-Pro team eight times: Reggie White and Bruce Smith. Other defensive linemen who played longer made more Pro Bowls than Donald, but none of them were named to the Pro Bowl in every season they played. Only Donald and Barry Sanders have played at least 10 seasons in the NFL and made the Pro Bowl in each of them.

Donald's 20.5 sacks in 2018 are the most for a player primarily at defensive tackle since 1982, when individual sack tallies officially began. Donald's career total of 111 sacks is second among defensive tackles behind John Randle's 137.5 in 14 NFL seasons.

A good historical indicator of a player's value is Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value metric. Donald's 153 AV total is tied for third among players listed as defensive tackles, behind Page and Merlin Olsen. But remember, Donald played 10 seasons, while Page and Olsen both played 15. His average of 15.3 AV per year is easily #1, with Page second at 13.1.

Here's a look at the best AV-based interior defensive linemen by season. I included players such as Smith and Watt who were arguably edge rushers, but played defensive end in a 3-4 alignment, which is what Donald played for part of his career with the Rams. They always arrive behind Donald.

Donald comes in first, having once again been chosen to the All-Pro first team in 2023. He again led all defensive tackles with a 19.9% ​​win rate last season and added eight more sacks to his career total. Donald probably would have had two or three more good seasons leaving the game.

Whether by statistics or especially by the accolades of those who watched him every year, Donald is the best to have ever played his position in the NFL. He will be greatly missed by all but the NFL quarterbacks and offensive linemen.