Aaron Donald---best defensive player ever?? Many current NFL players think so...

[Real McClappy]

Donald is a amazing player but the convo is way premature. He is in the top 5 for his position for sure at DT but nowhere close to greatest player on D of all time. He still has a ways to reach John Randle or Alan Page numbers at DT alone. People that don't know Page really should look him up, dude was a animal for many, many years. 

 

 How quick media is to erase the past. 

Edited September 6, 2021 by Real McNasty

[billsbackto81]

Maybe the best DT, but player? No!

 

LT revolutionized the LB position.

 

Ray Lewis is in the conversation.

 

Bruce has the sack record no one is touching and along with Reggie White are the best DEs in history IMO.

 

Donald is an incredible talent, but best ever? I'd say no.

[Sherlock Holmes]

5 hours ago, Big Turk said:

Even Diggs is in the clip touting him...Donald is an unbelievable talent...best ever, that is pushing it but the way he puts up DE numbers from the DT position is pretty crazy

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/damien-harris-calls-aaron-donald-180319020.html

Meh....The Milkman says hello (JJ Watt) 

[HOUSE]

To be honest Aaron Darnold is not in my top 5

 

He is pretty good though

[Bookie Man]

That's very questionable. Maybe top 10. 

[DCofNC]

A few more years of this production, I don’t think it’s a question, he’s been arguably the best player in the league fit the last 3 years.   If he stays in the top 5 for even 2 more years, and remains a big contributor for a couple after that, no debate to me, best ever.  Bruce and Reggie had strong runs at the top of the league and also had a long run in the league as excellent players.  At this point, Donald doesn’t have the tenure form me to crown him, but he may over take them.

[Weatherman]

3 hours ago, billsbackto81 said:

Maybe the best DT, but player? No!

 

LT revolutionized the LB position.

 

Ray Lewis is in the conversation.

 

Bruce has the sack record no one is touching and along with Reggie White are the best DEs in history IMO.

 

Donald is an incredible talent, but best ever? I'd say no.

Prolly the same crowd saying Lebron is better than MJ.  AD has a long way to go to crack the top 10 best defenders OAT, but is headed in the right direction.  

[marky]

Others

Dick Night Trane Lane

Deacon Jones

Deion Sanders

Ray Nitschke

Jack Tatum

 

Criteria
1. What have you won
2. If you went to the worst team, are they now a contender? Sherman did that with the 49ers.

3. Are you the face of the franchise, with proteges and do you leave a legacy? <-Mean Joe

4. Did you change the era? Ray Lewis took out the power running back. Then he adapted into the gaming the system era

5. Are you a freak? Ted Washington, Pat Williams and Sam Adams can speak to this.

6. Luck and fate. A lot of talent. A lot of hard work. Not many times things are just right. Take a look at Hollywood Henderson. Sure, a lot of Dallas Cowboys are good players and insane violent jerks, but how many are used as props against Ronald Reagan during Superbowl pregame eating out of a dumpster? And after that, how many win the lottery? Think Greg Hardy winning the Superbowl, only to be imprisoned for war crimes, and then let out because he unified physics.

[In Summary]

6 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

That’s because current players are so young they’ve never seen LT.  By HOF coaches and on is thought of the best defensive player of all time.  Even higher than Bruuuuce.

 

Ask Theisman and his leg.  He changed the game.  That doesn’t mean I don’t think Donald isn’t the best current defensive player.  Not all time.

...and if JJ Watt was in his prime it might be him. Mad respect for Donald though.

[PonyBoy]

5 hours ago, HOUSE said:

 

I saw him play every week in the 60s. Not only was he the best, the guy was crazy too. Scary crazy

House! I thought that was really your current picture in your Bio photo... Hey... if you saw him play in the 60's.. you're not as dashing and debonair as I thought. 😃

[Charles Romes]

four that stood out for me are

1 Bruce Smith (88-97)

2 LT (83-87)

3 Ray Lewis (98-03)

4 JJ Watt (Defensive MVP years) - hate to admit it, because I find him unlikable. 

 

[Alphadawg7]

6 hours ago, Freddie&#x27;s Dead said:

Bruce Smith says hi.

 

Well as much as I love Bruce, he is not even the consensus best DE of all time, let alone best overall defensive player all time.  

 

Bruce Smith is top 10 all time Defensive player, but best ever...that title belongs to Lawrence Taylor until someone knocks him off that pedestal.  

 

Aarron Donald is on his way to making his own case for the top of that pedestal though.  If JJ Watt body had held up, he was on a path to make his own case for a long time, but ultimately injuries derailed that path.  But if Darnold stays healthy mostly throughout his career, he will have a case for sure.  

 

 

[Boatdrinks]

I’d also venture that a lot of current NFL players aren’t familiar with much of NFL history. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Donald is a great great player and one day may surpass White and Bruce as best DL of all time.  But no one is moving past LT.  He changed the game of football.  No one ever schemed to block a linebacker before LT.  No one ever run blocked the backside of a play before LT started running them down.  

[djp14150]

Recency bias….  

[BuffaloBillsGospel]

I considered Warren Sapp the best DT in the game until Aaron Donald came into the league, if he keeps up this pace for another 5-6 years I think he'll absolutely be the best to ever play. Warren Sapp had 254 Tackles, 96.5 sacks in 12 seasons, Donald has 337 Tackles, 85.5 sacks in 7 seasons, he'll probably blow by Sapps sack totals and not only is that amazing for a DT but he could be a HOF player if he quit right now. A SB win will make it much easier but I don't think it's necessary at all. When it's all said and done it may be hard to argue the fact players are calling him the best defensive player to ever play imo.

[Weatherman]

2 hours ago, Charles Romes said:

four that stood out for me are

1 Bruce Smith (88-97)

2 LT (83-87)

3 Ray Lewis (98-03)

4 JJ Watt (Defensive MVP years) - hate to admit it, because I find him unlikable. 

 

Plus all the shut down DBs.  There’s at least 5 I’d rank ahead of AD.  (Lott, Woodson, Green, Bailey, Sanders)

[Apocalypse Nuts]

AD disappeared in the SB.  I was not impressed with him that day.    I thought he would have a significant impact but he was a non-factor from what I saw.  Does he just get a pass for that? 

Edited September 6, 2021 by Apocalypse Nuts

[1ManRaid]

He's definitely on the list, but recency bias is getting him a few extra votes.

 

The era of the passing game applies to defense as well.  It's all about the pass rush now, bringing fewer double teams for D-linemen.

Edited September 6, 2021 by 1ManRaid

[NoSaint]

16 hours ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

Unpopular opinion, but YES. I think Aaron Donald would absolutely go into any past era and dominate (as would any good-great player of today.) But the players of the past didn't have nearly the amount of tools, training diet, individual coaching, etc like they do now especially the ones from the infancy of the NFL. A guy like Deacon Jones for example. Who knows how good he would be? Guys are just bigger, stronger, faster now and the rules are much different along w/ overall philosophies. There's just way too many variables to determine best ever. But yeah, if you stick them all on a team I think Aaron Donald would be the best given all of his obvious advantages. The real question is, could a guy from those eras come into THIS era and dominate? 

The lack of training the older guys had can be an argument that they would be better today with all that… or look worse in a league where they aren’t outworking everybody by as much