St. Louis Rams rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald earned the 2015 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award earlier today. Donald received 25 of the 50 votes, which brought the coveted award back to the franchise for the first time since linebacker Isiah Robertson won it in 1971.
Surprisingly, Baltimore Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley finished second with 18 votes. Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack earned six votes for third place, and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland came in fourth place, receiving just one vote.
Donald stunned the league when he produced some impressive numbers during his rookie campaign which also earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl. Starting only 12 of the 16 games, he produced a total of 37 tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass deflection.
Though the University of Pittsburgh product was dubbed “undersized” coming out of the 2014 NFL Draft, that didn’t seem to slow his production. Donald quickly emerged as the most consistent defensive lineman on the Rams’ roster which is impressive considering he plays alongside the likes of Robert Quinn, Chris Long and Michael Brockers.
Source: NFL.com, Pro-sports-reference.com
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