Aaron Donald was the best defensive player in the NFL over the last decade, but now that Donald is retired, he says T.J. Watt has that title.
Asked on Chris Long‘s podcast who assumes the title of the best defensive player in the league now, Donald picked Watt.
“I think it’s T.J. Watt,” Donald said. “You talk about a guy that’s consistent. Been doing it year in, year out, consistently, that’s gonna get you 15 sacks, 13 sacks, 22 sacks, consistent. He’s the guy who’s been doing it consistently, interceptions, touchdowns, His stats are ridiculous every single year. He’s that guy to me. I know you’ve got Micah Parsons that’s coming up, you’ve got Myles Garrett, you’ve got a bunch of good players. But in my opinion, in the time I’ve seen T.J. Watt in this league, from the first time I’ve seen him to last year, he’s consistently been dominating in this league. So a lot of respect for him.”
Donald, who grew up in Pittsburgh, admitted there was a part of him that would have liked player for the Steelers, although he said spending his entire career with the Rams meant more to him.
“Before I got drafted I’d be like, it’d be dope to play for my hometown because I grew up a Steeler fan,” Donald said. “I flirted with that idea a little bit, maybe I could go home and play for the Steelers.”
Donald and Watt on the same defense would have been a dream team, but Donald spent his whole year with one team, and Steelers fans will hope Watt does the same.
