Ed Oliver vs Aaron Donald Physical Comparison

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

6 hours ago, Chicken Boo said:

No disrespect to Oliver, but Aaron Donald is the best DT and one of the top 3 most dominant defensive forces this league has ever seen. 

top 5-10 for sure, but top 3? Not sure I agree.

[BillsPride12]

12 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

Like I said most overrated player on the team 

I'm not suggesting he's on Aaron Donald's level(nobody else in the entire league is) but you are going to eat those words this season my friend! 

[Bob in STL]

5 hours ago, mabden said:

 

You mean other than Bruce Smith, Reggie White, or Lawrence Taylor?

To name a few 

[ColoradoBills]

3 hours ago, Stampede said:

Yes, Aaron is Aaron, and Ed is Ed, and Ed will make his mark. But there is and will always be comparison. That's how we gauge the level of any athlete's (or actor, musician, artist, etc.) performance and improvement. Someone has to set the benchmark to which all participants are subject to. However, my comparison was of their physical attributes only, to highlight that Aaron doesn't have an unfair advantage due to size or freak of nature strength.

 

I quoted what Von Miller said is his presser.  I agree with him.  If you don't, take it up with Von.

[ghostwriter]

Donald is probably the best DT to ever play the game. I think Oliver will be good, very good, but we’ll see.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

5 hours ago, DCofNC said:

It’s like comparing Superman to Roger Rabbit.  Oliver is an average starter vs arguably the best player ever at his position. 

Fair enough. I didn't like the Oliver selection at the time but he is getting better every year. I cant push back on average starter label, but by the end of this year I think he will be in a higher status, but no where near Donald. 

[Beerball]

17 hours ago, Stampede said:

I'm trying not to get too excited over what this defense could be. I just read the article about how Von Miller can elevate Ed's game, and it was eye-opening when you consider the effect Von had on Aaron. From the article, I thought this was quite telling:

Also, consider that Von was only with the Rams for just 12 games, if I'm correct. Plus, our defense is better than the Rams' with Von, IMO. Anyway, I compared the physical attributes of the two as a reminder of how similar they are. Some of Ed's numbers are from his pro day workout.

Ed Oliver	Aaron Donald
Height: 6 ft 1.5 in	Height: 6 ft.75 in
Weight: 287 lb	Weight: 285 lb
40-yard dash:4.73 s	40-yard dash:4.68 s
10-yard split:1.63 s	10-yard split:1.63 s
20-yard split:2.78 s	20-yard split:2.69 s
20-yard shuttle:4.19 s	20-yard shuttle:4.39 s
Three-cone drill:7.15 s	Three-cone drill:7.11 s
Vertical jump:36 in	Vertical jump:32 in
Broad jump:10 ft	Broad jump:9 ft 8 in
Bench press:32 reps	Bench press:35 reps

 

***sigh***why do you do this to yourself and your fellow Bills fan friends? ***sigh***

[NewEra]

8 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Fair enough. I didn't like the Oliver selection at the time but he is getting better every year. I cant push back on average starter label, but by the end of this year I think he will be in a higher status, but no where near Donald. 

He wasn’t an “average starter” last season. You can certainly push back.  

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

11 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

I'm not suggesting he's on Aaron Donald's level(nobody else in the entire league is) but you are going to eat those words this season my friend! 

That was supposed to happen last year.

 

[machine gun kelly]

It’s unfair of the media and fans to compare Oliver to Donald.  It’s like trying to compare GROOT to Bruuuce, or LT.

 

Oliver’s a solid DT that should do even better after we get Von in a groove, and GROOT will probably improve as well.

[colin]

in terms of raw physical talent, these two guys are pretty comparable.  i keep harping on this, but Star was a wonder talent in highschool, college, and coming into the NFL.  he's just a guy who will work as hard as driven when driven, and otherwise won't lift a finger.  he's not obsessed with football.  i can understand his position, how many of us are obsessed w our jobs and being the best ever at them?  for most of us, most of the time, we won't see more money or prestige by working harder, certainly not with certainty nor in a short time frame, and that's enough to demotivate even quick successful people.

 

donald, like tom brady, is a creature of very good habits and focused work.  not only are these guys willing to work hard every day on exercise and film and such, but they also put work into finding new and better ways of doing things, hiring coaches and trainers, and are just super open to being coached.

 

it isn't necessarily the volume of work, or how hard they work, but it's the systematic focused and most of all consistent application of effort towards effective action.  lots of people work hard, and some people work smart, but few combine the two and maintain great habits consistently while still looking for ways to improve.

 

the athlete i think who most embodies this is floyd mayweather jr.  he's actually over trained a bit to the point where he's shattered his hands nearly to dust, but aside from that, every moment of his life for as long as can be remembered he's worked daily to be the best at boxing, and to make the most money out of that skill as possible.  

[SoCal Deek]

Skimmed through the back and forth from so many responses but I want to thank the OP for providing the physical comparison. I’d have never guessed they were actually that similar. As some have said, it clearly comes down to more than just physical makeup.   Interesting…. and thanks! 

Edited August 5, 2022 by SoCal Deek

[Mr. WEO]

15 hours ago, Stampede said:

But see, that's one reason I looked at both of their combine/pro day workouts. They both are basically the same physically and in workout results. So technique and the fact that Ed has far less snap count have to be the biggest difference (along with coaching). Ed declared early, which does count against him. What I was getting at with this post is with the progress that Ed has been making in this defensive system, he should go completely ballistic this season. It's not like Aaron is 6 inches taller, 70 pounds heavier, and benched 45 reps. They are very much similar. If Ed stays healthy, gets more snaps, and continues to improve, he can be on the list of the greatest.

I have to say that I may be way, way off. But I believe he is better than an average starter. He has the potential to become a star in the league. I could be wrong.

 

 

Donald was a Pro Bowler his rookie year.  He has been an All PRo every year since.  He is routinely described as the best DT ever.

 

Now 4 years in with the same coaching, everyone is still waiting for Oliver to go ballistic....

 

14 hours ago, Stampede said:

Yes, Aaron is Aaron, and Ed is Ed, and Ed will make his mark. But there is and will always be comparison. That's how we gauge the level of any athlete's (or actor, musician, artist, etc.) performance and improvement. Someone has to set the benchmark to which all participants are subject to. However, my comparison was of their physical attributes only, to highlight that Aaron doesn't have an unfair advantage due to size or freak of nature strength.

 

Before this thread, I don't know anywhere anyone has seriously likened Ed Oliver to Aaron Donald.  Maybe they have the same suit size at the tailor.  Comparing them based on some combine numbers really means nothing at this point.  They both have actual performance in their careers to compare them.  They aren't comparable.

[Stampede]

14 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

Plus even suggesting that Miller somehow made Donald.

I'm sorry, I re-read every post in this thread and didn't find where it was suggested that 'Miller somehow made Donald'. Could you be so kind as to point out the specific post? I even re-read Sal's article and saw nothing that supports your statement.

[Royale with Cheese]

15 hours ago, billybrew1 said:

I’d say the biggest difference between the two is that Donald always took to coaching and Ed did not. Being from a small school and not really liking his coaches and having tremendous success without coaching sealed the deal for Oliver  who needed a couple years to realize how good the NFL is… way behind Donald at this point, he has been learning for a couple years now and training harder than he used to….He’s getting better now but is still far behind Donald in a lot of ways…. Perhaps hand-fighting is number one? Though, I recall, Ed is Abendextorous…. He should be very good at hand fighting…. And it is something how good of a one-tech Ed is but at the same time, a complete shame on us he had to play one-tech for us….

I simply think Donald is just a much better player overall.  He’s one of, if not the most dominant interior DL in the history of the NFL.

[Stampede]

13 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

I quoted what Von Miller said is his presser.  I agree with him.  If you don't, take it up with Von.

Fair enough, I apologize if you took umbrage at my comment. I did not mean it to be personal, but this is a fact and not just my opinion:

There is and will always be comparison. That's how we gauge the level of any athlete's (or actor, musician, artist, etc.) performance and improvement. Someone has to set the benchmark to which all participants are subject to.

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, Stampede said:

I'm sorry, I re-read every post in this thread and didn't find where it was suggested that 'Miller somehow made Donald'. Could you be so kind as to point out the specific post? I even re-read Sal's article and saw nothing that supports your statement.

 

" it was eye-opening when you consider the effect Von had on Aaron. 

Here’s something to consider, though: Of Donald’s 86 pressures, 45 of them, as well as the 23 he piled up in four playoff games, came AFTER Miller arrived...

Also, consider that Von was only with the Rams for just 12 games, if I'm correct."

 

This is right up there with the thread that tried to claim Josh Allen and Rob Johnson are essentially the same (doppelgangers!!).

 

 

It's OK to be a fan of Oliver, but after 3 years, there is no real comparison in their games. 

 

 

[Chicken Boo]

17 hours ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

top 5-10 for sure, but top 3? Not sure I agree.

 

Don't let your eyes deceive you.

[wjag]

On 8/4/2022 at 1:13 PM, Royale with Cheese said:

Miller will definitely help Oliver.  I see Oliver around 8 sacks this year.

The transitive property. The great Von gets to work with the great Donald.  What he learns he can pass on to Oliver. So in effect Oliver benefits from what Von learned by working with Donald. 

[Big Turk]

On 8/4/2022 at 1:13 PM, Royale with Cheese said:

Miller will definitely help Oliver.  I see Oliver around 8 sacks this year.

 

They are physically about the same but Donald is more fluid which makes him nearly unstoppable.  Great first step, strength, fluid and great hands.

 

Oliver is first step and power right now.  If his hands get much better, he will be much more dangerous.

 

Donald is unblockable...it's like trying to block water or sand...it just moves away from you and you look silly

Edited August 5, 2022 by Big Turk