Aaron Donald was named the best player in the NFL in a poll of his fellow players. The NFL Network revealed that the Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle was the top vote-getter among 1,098 ballots cast.
Donald finished ahead of some familiar names, for anyone who's prepping for fantasy football. He beat out Drew Brees, Khalil Mack, Patrick Mahomes and Todd Gurley.
It takes an ungodly amount of talent to wind up at the top of a players poll, but Donald's win is even more special because the top slot rarely ever goes to defensive players. The only other time its been awarded to a defensive player was when it went to a similarly otherworldly talent on a historic tear: J.J Watt in 2015. This year marks the first time that two defensive players have finished on the podium, with Khalil Mack at no. 3.
Even Donald seemed surprised that the award would go to someone at his position.
It's not the first time Donald has etched his name in NFL history. He's one of three players to win defensive player of the year in back-to-back seasons, the others being Watt and the legendary Lawrence Taylor.
See the top 10 below and check out the entire top 100 here:
1. Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams
2. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
3. Khalil Mack, LB, Chicago Bears
4. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
5. Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams
6. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
7. Antonio Brown, WR, Oakland Raiders
8. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
9. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons
10. Von Miller, LB, Denver Broncos
