Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams was named the 2017 NFL Defensive Player of the Year at Saturday night's NFL Honors show.
Donald's dominance has been unquestioned throughout his four-year career, but being a defensive tackle has likely kept him from winning the award. The last player to claim the honor at his position was Warren Sapp in 1999.
The 26-year-old registered 32 tackles, 11 sacks, and five forced fumbled in 14 games this season, but his impact goes far beyond the regular stats. According to Pro Football Focus, Donald ended the season with a 99.7 pass-rush grade - the highest in the NFL - and finished with a whopping 91 total pressures. That figure is a stunning 21 more than the next-highest interior lineman, Geno Atkins.
Donald received 23 votes for the honor - six more than Calais Campbell of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
