Aaron Donald slipping to the Rams at No. 13 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft forever altered the direction of the organization. Donald became an immediate contributor in St. Louis and further cemented his status as an all-time great by helping Los Angeles win Super Bowl LVI.

When ranking the top 15 first-round value picks of the last 10 NFL Drafts, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports placed AD at number two on his list behind Patrick Mahomes.

“The Rams made a big investment in their defensive front by taking Donald so high. But the degree to which he influenced L.A.’s defense — and every opponent’s game plan for the next 10 years — was something else. A surefire future Hall of Famer, the freak of nature was constantly in the quarterback’s face, finishing his durable run with 111 career sacks and 176 tackles for loss. A 10-time Pro Bowler and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, he had a direct hand in the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl win as well,” Benjamin wrote on April 17

Donald was one of four defensive players chosen and behind him (in order) were Lamar Jackson, Justin Jefferson, T.J. Watt, Zack Martin, CeeDee Lamb, Mike Evans, Ryan Ramczyk, Brandin Cooks, Frank Ragnow, Marcus Peters, Micah Parsons, D.J. Moore and Josh Allen.

For ridiculous reasons, AD slipped out of the top 10 when he was absolutely deserving of being at least a top-three pick. Oh well, the rest of the NFL clearly missed out and the Rams almost made up for that god-awful Greg Robinson selection 11 picks earlier. Emphasis on almost.

It can’t be stressed enough that there will never be another Aaron Donald. Fans and the media immediately recognized the Rams got a legend once he stepped on the field. That greatness carried him to one of the single easiest Pro Football Hall of Fame nods in recent memory.