Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has unquestionably been the best defensive player in the NFL since he was drafted in the first round in 2014, and maybe even the best player overall. And yes, the Aaron Donald squat and other workout numbers are next level.
Donald, at his max, can squat 800 pounds (!) and bench press 500 pounds.
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In nine seasons with the Rams, Donald has been to nine Pro Bowls while being named to seven All-Pro teams and winning Defensive Player of the Year three times. Oh yeah, and he also won a Super Bowl (while coming up with some of the biggest plays in the postseason to make it happen).
As far as defensive tackles go though, Donald is actually one of the smallest at 6’1″ and 280 pounds. But as offensive linemen will tell you, don’t let Donald’s lack of size fool you as he can still beat you in a variety of ways, whether it be with power, speed, athleticism, lateral quickness or stellar pass-rushing technique.
A freak of nature
And Donald being able to do that is not some sort of coincidence. It’s because of the work that he puts in daily to make himself the best player he can be. Whether it’s in the weight room or on the field, no one in the NFL works harder than Aaron Donald.
Anyone who follows Donald or the Rams on social media has seen his ridiculous workout videos. He has been very vocal about how he started working out at a young age and that became engraved in him.
Aaron Donald 40 time
Going back to before his rookie season, Donald put on a show at the NFL Combine with a 4.68 40-yard dash, 35 reps on the bench press, a 32″ vertical jump, 116″ broad jump and 7.11 seconds three-cone drill. As far as defensive tackles go, that combination of power and speed is very rare and it’s why Donald has been head-and-shoulders above everyone else since entering the league.
Hilarious Donald and Metcalf story
Someone who takes working out as seriously as Donald is Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf.
But in a recent interview that they did together on the podcast “Pardon My Take,” Metcalf found out the hard way that he is nowhere near Donald’s level.
Metcalf was asked how much he can bench press and said 350 pounds. After Donald came in a few minutes later though, he was asked the same question and without hesitation said… 500 pounds.
There probably isn’t much that can be said that would surprise Metcalf when it comes to strength and working out, but you can see in his face just how shocked he was when Donald said 500:
For us normal people, Metcalf saying he could bench 350 pounds was extremely impressive. The fact that Metcalf looks at Donald the way all of us look at him tells you everything you need to know.
Donald even trains with knives
Similar to the way people like to spice up their love lives by doing unconventional things when they get bored, Donald started incorporating knives in his workouts.
Now, I know the knives are not real (although if Donald said they were, I would not be surprised in the slightest). But Donald explained that he does this to improve his hand speed by employing a technique known as Krav Maga.
Out-of-the-box workouts like these and his desire to continue to find new ways to get better, even at this stage of his career, is why Donald will go down as one of the best defensive players ever.
There aren’t many players that can get after the quarterback the way Donald can while also having an eight-pack that looks like it was painted on at 280 pounds.
