Long before being considered the best defensive player in the NFL, Aaron Donald was actually ranked as the 37th best defensive tackle in the nation.
He later excelled in college, breaking out in his sophomore season with the Pittsburgh Panthers to finally catch the eye of NFL teams.
However, even then, the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams had doubts about getting him in the NFL Draft, at least, according to former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
In their latest appearance on the Come Get Some podcast, Williams reminded Donald that the Rams almost didn’t take him with that No. 13 pick, so he had to take matters into his own hands.
The St. Louis Rams really almost passed on Aaron Donald in the 2014 NFL Draft 😳
“They weren’t gonna draft your little short ass.”
-Gregg Williams 👀
“You made it happen, man. You made it happen.”
–@AaronDonald97 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/bXDs8ggLNn
— COME GET SOME (@ComeGetSomeShow) July 16, 2024
The rest, as you know, is history.
Donald went on to become one of the best and most dominant defensive players the game of football has ever seen.
He’s tied for the most Defensive Player of the Year awards (3), was an eight All-Pro (all first-team), ten Pro-Bowls, and is a member of the league’s all-decade team.
It’s crazy to see how a person and a decision can shape a franchise’s history forever.
And while Williams is no longer in the league, Rams fans should hold him in high regard until the end of time for making things happen, as no one knows how Donald’s career would’ve turned out if he had landed anywhere else.
