St. Louis Rams’ Aaron Donald Named PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year
After much recent debate about whether he would win the award, St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was named the Pro Football Writers of America’s Defensive Rookie of the Year on Tuesday. He’s the first Ram to win the award since Isiah Robertson won it back in 1971.
Donald finished his rookie year with nine sacks, which ranked him second in the league–only behind Buffalo’s Marcell Dareus–at his position. With those nine sacks, he had the most single-season sacks for a Rams defensive tackle since D’Marco Farr had 11.5 during the team’s inaugural season in St. Louis back in 1995. Donald had 47 total tackles, which led Rams defensive linemen. 11 of those tackles were for loss, and he also had one pass defended and two forced fumbles. Those impressive numbers resulted in Donald being selected to the Pro Bowl; he was the first Rams rookie to receive the honor since running back Jerome Bettis in 1993.
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Donald had faced some solid competition for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, mainly from Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack and Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr, both of whom were selected ahead of him in this year’s draft. Mack had 75 tackles, though he had a somewhat disappointing four sacks playing in a pass-rush-intensive role. Barr, who was limited by injuries down the stretch, finished with 70 tackles and four sacks over 12 games.
Along with Donald, cornerback E.J. Gaines and running back Tre Mason were also named to the PFWA’s All-Rookie team. Gaines was perhaps the Rams’ most consistent player in 2014, and he supplemented spectacular coverage with 70 tackles, 15 passes defended, and two interceptions. Mason led the team with 765 rushing yards on 179 carries over 12 games.