Legendary Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald Retires: Who Was Drafted Before Him in 2014?

Legendary Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald retired Friday after 10 years in the NFL.

He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams at the No. 13 overall spot in the 2014 NFL Draft. Since then, he helped bring them a Super Bowl, won Defensive Player of the Year four times and was selected to 10 Pro Bowls along with eight first-team All-Pro selections.

Aaron Donald will likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but there were 12 players selected before him in the 2014 NFL Draft before the Los Angeles Rams, who were the St. Louis Rams at the time, decided to draft a player that would permanently alter the course of their franchise.

A look at the solid players drafted before the Los Angeles Rams took Aaron Donald

Of the 12 players taken off the board before the Los Angeles Rams took Aaron Donald, only half of them played in the NFL in 2023. Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney was taken at the No. 1 overall spot by the Houston Texans after shaking up the college football world with one of the most viral moments in college football history.

Ball don’t lie play of the decade: Clowney’s hit vs. Michigan 😤 pic.twitter.com/LS3U2nXjlR

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) August 16, 2020

Clowney never lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon him before the 2014 NFL Draft, but he has proven to be a formidable defensive piece in the NFL with three Pro Bowls and a second-team All-Pro selection. Clowney will likely play for his sixth different team in 2024.

The player opposite Clowney on the viral play was Michigan Wolverines tackle Taylor Lewan, who was also drafted before Aaron Donald. Lewan is out of the league now, but he was an anchor for the Tennessee Titans offensive line with three Pro Bowl selections.

Arguably the best selection made before Aaron Donald was when the Las Vegas Raiders, or the Oakland Raiders at the time, took Khalil Mack at the No. 5 spot. Although Mack didn’t stick with them past 2017, he had a Defensive Player of the Year, five All-Pro selections and eight Pro Bowl selections. Mack is still going strong as he had a career-high 17 sacks in 2023.

The other player with an argument to be the best selection made before Aaron Donald is Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans. Evans has two All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl selections. He has had 10 straight years with over 1,000 yards receiving and just signed a two-year contract to stay with Tampa Bay.

Other solid players selected before Aaron Donald include Atlanta Falcons tackle Jake Matthews, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr and New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

Matthews and Barr spent the majority of their careers with the teams that drafted them (Barr spent one year with the Dallas Cowboys before coming back to Minnesota). Beckham Jr. didn’t provide as much to the team that drafted him but he was responsible for one of the most viral moments in NFL history along with one of the best peaks of any player drafted before Donald.

GREATEST CATCH OF ALL TIME:

The moment Odell Beckham Jr. became a global superstar.
pic.twitter.com/y37W1MpIPp https://t.co/rx9Gldj08R

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 14, 2023

Beckahm Jr. had three years with over 1,300 yards receiving and double-digit receiving touchdowns. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year and had two All-Pro selections and three Pro Bowl selections from 2014 to 2016. He hasn’t accrued any accolades since 2016 and he hasn’t had more than 570 yards receiving in a season since 2019.

A look at the “busts” drafted before Los Angeles Rams legend Aaron Donald

The players drafted before Los Angeles Rams legend Aaron Donald that could be considered “busts” include tackle Greg Robinson (Rams), QB Blake Bortles (Jacksonville Jaguars), WR Sammy Watkins (Buffalo Bills), DB Justin Gilbert (Cleveland Browns) and TE Eric Ebron (Indianapolis Colts).

Robinson started 70 games for three different teams, but he was out of the league after the 2019 season. His selection can more or less be forgiven because the Rams went on to be the ones to take Donald 11 picks later.

Bortles did lead a Jacksonville Jaguars team with a strong defense to the AFC Championship Game in 2017, but he was also out of the league by 2019. He barely had two seasons with more than a 60% completion rate (60.2% in 2017 and 60.3% in 2018). His best season, 2015, saw him throw for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns with 18 interceptions.

Watkins never came close to living up to expectations, but he managed to stay in the league until 2022. He only had one season with over 1,000 yards receiving, but he did win a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. His most famous play involved him celebrating early and getting caught from behind.

#OTD in 2014 Sammy Watkins has three receptions for 157 yards including a 61 yard TD as well as the longest non-scoring play in Bills’ history of 84 yards in Buffalo’s 43-23 win over the Jets pic.twitter.com/prhbxIwByf

— ThisDateInBuffaloSportsHistory (@BuffSportsHstry) October 26, 2023

Ebron was on the cusp of being a solid player with a single Pro Bowl selection, but he never had more than 750 yards receiving and was out of the league after the 2021 season. He had more than 575 yards receiving just twice and only had more than five touchdown receptions in a season just once.

Gilbert was easily the most egregious pick before Donald. He only lasted three years in the league and he only started three games during that team. He had one interception in his career and could never find a consistent spot in the NFL. Gilbert explained his excitement that came from signing with the Sioux City Bandits in an article from SiouxLandProud.

“It’s hard to explain the feeling because I’ve been away from the game for years, a number of years and playing against high-level competition. So, I’ve been just anxious ever since talking to them about it and talking to Coach Lo[bban]. Anxious, that’s all I’ve been right now. So, I’m just ready to get up there and see what I’ve got. That’s number one on my mind right now,” Gilbert added.

It is hard to say any player drafted before Donald was deserving, but there are a few who ended up having exceptional NFL careers. Some others missed out on arguably the best defensive tackle of all time for a rotational depth piece.

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