NFL Film Room: Aaron Donald Has A Bright Future For St. Louis

Sep 14, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. St. Louis Rams defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Rams upset the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks last Sunday. The discussion after the game centered on trick special teams and a controversial fumble, but those weren’t the only important stories from the game. Lost in that chatter was an impressively dominant game by Rams rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

Donald’s performance was of the type that doesn’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet. He finished with five tackles and one sack, but that in no way describes the impact he had on this game.

The coach’s tape is pretty clear here. Donald practically lived in Seattle’s backfield. He looked completely unblockable at times. He was also a big reason why the Rams were able to build their big early lead and ultimately win that football game.

Fans in St. Louis have to be happy with the performance. Rookie players don’t always make an immediate impact, and the Rams have eased Donald into his role in the defense. The training wheels are now off, and Donald responded by having his best game of the year.

The Swim Move

Aaron Donald’s dominance against the Seahawks started on Seattle’s first offensive play. Seattle runs an inside zone counter through the A-gap. Donald is assigned to the B-gap, and is double-teamed by left guard James Carpenter and left tackle Russell Okung.

At the the snap, Donald uses a swim move and gets completely by Carpenter. A true swim move usually isn’t successful until later the a game once it’s been set up, but Donald executes it perfectly.

Carpenter ends up falling down, and Okung is completely out of position to be able to block Donald. Donald’s first step and ability to beat Carpenter means that Okung has no choice to but hold.

Even with Okung holding, which isn’t called by the officials, Donald has the power slide down the line and make the tackle. 

By using a double team, the blocking was designed to completely eliminate Donald from the play. Instead, he is able to beat both blockers and blow up the play for just a one-yard gain.

Across The Face Of the Blocker

Even on plays where Donald doesn’t end up involved in the tackle, he was still able to win against the blocking that Seattle assigned to him. In this next play, Donald lines up in the three-technique, but shoots inside to the A-gap. The run is designed to go outside, so the defensive playcall actually takes Donald out of the play.

Donald’s first step is so quick that he is able to beat Carpenter across his face. Carpenter has no choice to hold, again not called, or Donald would have been able to blow up this play in the backfield.

Donald is able to get completely around the block, and actually ends up facing back towards his own goalline as he fights to break free of the hold from Carpenter.

The play-calls by both teams on this play meant that Donald wasn’t supposed to have any shot at impacting this play. Instead, only a blatant hold was able to keep him from blowing this play up for a huge loss.

Pure Quickness

The previous two plays both had something in common: Donald wasn’t supposed to be able greatly impact the play based on the playcalls. In one he did make the tackle, and in the other he would have had it not been for the uncalled penalty. On the next play, you can see what happens with the Seahawks allowed Donald to be the key defender on a play.

The Seahawks are running outside zone on this next play, so the key block is Carpenter on Donald. Lynch is supposed to read that block to determine what hole to cut up through the line.

Donald is able to complete beat Carpenter in his first step. In the pic below, Wilson is just receiving the snap, and Donald has already won at the line of scrimmage.

By the time Lynch gets the ball, Donald is completely by Carpenter, even though he is being held from behind. A penalty that wasn’t called. You’ll likely be noticing the tend with that by now.

Donald makes the tackle for a five-yard loss. The play never had a chance.

Making this even worse for Seattle, and more impressive for Donald, is that this is a staple play for the Seahawks. It is something they run regularly, and typically with great success.

Putting It All Together

It is difficult to look at this tape and not be incredibly impressed with Donald’s game. His explosive first step is deadly for opposing guards. Combine that with a robust number of well developed moves to keep a blockers’ hands off of him, and it becomes a recipe for dominance.

It is also important to keep in mind the competition. Seattle’s James Carpenter isn’t exactly a great offensive linemen. What he has in pure power for run blocking, he lack in equal measure of quickness. Donald’s quickness alone was enough to leave Carpenter completely overmatched. Donald had no trouble winning that matchup on almost every play.

That may sound like an “word of warning,” but it’s not. Donald is the superior player of that matchup, and there was no doubt about it. He was able to leverage his own strength and exploit his opponent’s weaknesses. He almost never let the lesser player get the best of him. That is never a bad thing.

Donald also just played his sixth game as a professional, and just his second where he was given a starter’s allotment of snaps. He has yet to come close to his potential as a player, and he’s already dominating games.

It is safe to say: Aaron Donald has a bright future in St. Louis.