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Savage: Pittsburgh's Aaron Donald a top-50 draft pick
Chase Goodbread College Football 24/7 writer
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Reese's Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage sees Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald as a top-50 draft choice after the 6-1, 290-pounder dominated drill work at Senior Bowl practices. On Wednesday, Savage echoed the sentiments of NFL scouts who raved about Donald's performance in Mobile, naming him as the North squad's top defensive lineman.
According to Savage's daily review of the Senior Bowl's top performers, Donald won 12 of 15 matchups in 1-on-1 pass-rush drills.
"Frontside blocks can be problematic due to his overall girth, but when he attacks with his hands on the inside, he can separate and make tackles," Savage said. "On the backside of blocks, he simply is too athletic to be cut off and will track down ball carriers down the line of scrimmage. His pass-rush technique is outstanding, and he should be able to contribute on sub downs immediately as a rookie."
None of NFL Media's draft analysts have Donald being chosen in the first round (32 picks). If Savage's top-50 assessment is accurate, Donald figures to be chosen at or near the top half of the second round.
YouTube 2014 Reese's Senior Bowl: NORTH DL
Savage ranked Minnesota's Ra'Shede Hageman as the second-best defensive lineman on the North squad, projecting him as an NFL starter within two years. At 6-6, 318 pounds, Savage described Hageman as "scheme-friendly for all 32 clubs." Hageman came up on the short end of 1-on-1 pass rush drills, losing nine of 15.
"Very athletic," Savage said of Hageman. "When he does it the right way in terms of technique, he is really an unstoppable force."
Among scouts who spoke with College Football 24/7, Donald and Hageman were by far the most impressive defensive linemen on the North team, and perhaps two of the top three in the entire game, along with Auburn defensive end Dee Ford.
NFL draft watch: DT Aaron Donald
By Scott Brown | January 24, 2014 1:00:41 PM PST
PITTSBURGH -- Aaron Donald has continued at the Senior Bowl what he did during a storied a career at Pitt.
AP Photo/Johnny Vy The Steelers have the advantage of familiarity with Pitt's Aaron Donald but have to wonder whether he fits into their defensive scheme. The Penn Hills High School graduate has been the hardest player to block during practices, according to anyone within three zip codes of Mobile, Ala. No less an NFL draft authority than the NFL Network's Mike Mayock has compared Donald to Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins.
Whoa.
ESPN's NFL draft experts on the ground are similarly impressed with Donald. Here is one item from a story that Todd McShay, Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl collaborated on after watching the Senior Bowl practices: "Donald showed the ability to beat offensive linemen with quickness, power and active hands, and his ability to do it so many different ways make it that much harder to keep him off the quarterback."
Sounds like a player who will really help a team.
And the Steelers should know as much if not more about Donald than any other team by the time the NFL draft rolls around in May.
Pitt shares a practice facility with the Steelers, and general manager Kevin Colbert has said the team does more homework on local prospects because proximity provides that advantage -- and because the Steelers don't want to let a potential great player get away.
The problem with Donald: He clearly is a better fit in 4-3 defense as an attacking tackle rather than a hold-the-point-of-attack end in a 3-4 scheme.
The 6-foot, 288-pound Donald is probably too small to play nose tackle in a 3-4 defense and would likely be miscast in that role, too.
But he also seems like a classic case of player who transcends measurables and can play regardless of scheme. The Steelers, I'm guessing, would love to keep Donald in Pittsburgh but their top picks will be used on players who are better fits for them and fill a need.
And since it is unlikely that Donald lasts beyond the second round of the draft, he will probably continue his football career outside of Pittsburgh.
Chase Goodbread College Football 24/7 writer
745 SHARE
Reese's Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage sees Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald as a top-50 draft choice after the 6-1, 290-pounder dominated drill work at Senior Bowl practices. On Wednesday, Savage echoed the sentiments of NFL scouts who raved about Donald's performance in Mobile, naming him as the North squad's top defensive lineman.
According to Savage's daily review of the Senior Bowl's top performers, Donald won 12 of 15 matchups in 1-on-1 pass-rush drills.
"Frontside blocks can be problematic due to his overall girth, but when he attacks with his hands on the inside, he can separate and make tackles," Savage said. "On the backside of blocks, he simply is too athletic to be cut off and will track down ball carriers down the line of scrimmage. His pass-rush technique is outstanding, and he should be able to contribute on sub downs immediately as a rookie."
None of NFL Media's draft analysts have Donald being chosen in the first round (32 picks). If Savage's top-50 assessment is accurate, Donald figures to be chosen at or near the top half of the second round.
YouTube 2014 Reese's Senior Bowl: NORTH DL
Savage ranked Minnesota's Ra'Shede Hageman as the second-best defensive lineman on the North squad, projecting him as an NFL starter within two years. At 6-6, 318 pounds, Savage described Hageman as "scheme-friendly for all 32 clubs." Hageman came up on the short end of 1-on-1 pass rush drills, losing nine of 15.
"Very athletic," Savage said of Hageman. "When he does it the right way in terms of technique, he is really an unstoppable force."
Among scouts who spoke with College Football 24/7, Donald and Hageman were by far the most impressive defensive linemen on the North team, and perhaps two of the top three in the entire game, along with Auburn defensive end Dee Ford.
NFL draft watch: DT Aaron Donald
By Scott Brown | January 24, 2014 1:00:41 PM PST
PITTSBURGH -- Aaron Donald has continued at the Senior Bowl what he did during a storied a career at Pitt.
AP Photo/Johnny Vy The Steelers have the advantage of familiarity with Pitt's Aaron Donald but have to wonder whether he fits into their defensive scheme. The Penn Hills High School graduate has been the hardest player to block during practices, according to anyone within three zip codes of Mobile, Ala. No less an NFL draft authority than the NFL Network's Mike Mayock has compared Donald to Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins.
Whoa.
ESPN's NFL draft experts on the ground are similarly impressed with Donald. Here is one item from a story that Todd McShay, Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl collaborated on after watching the Senior Bowl practices: "Donald showed the ability to beat offensive linemen with quickness, power and active hands, and his ability to do it so many different ways make it that much harder to keep him off the quarterback."
Sounds like a player who will really help a team.
And the Steelers should know as much if not more about Donald than any other team by the time the NFL draft rolls around in May.
Pitt shares a practice facility with the Steelers, and general manager Kevin Colbert has said the team does more homework on local prospects because proximity provides that advantage -- and because the Steelers don't want to let a potential great player get away.
The problem with Donald: He clearly is a better fit in 4-3 defense as an attacking tackle rather than a hold-the-point-of-attack end in a 3-4 scheme.
The 6-foot, 288-pound Donald is probably too small to play nose tackle in a 3-4 defense and would likely be miscast in that role, too.
But he also seems like a classic case of player who transcends measurables and can play regardless of scheme. The Steelers, I'm guessing, would love to keep Donald in Pittsburgh but their top picks will be used on players who are better fits for them and fill a need.
And since it is unlikely that Donald lasts beyond the second round of the draft, he will probably continue his football career outside of Pittsburgh.
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