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          NFL Nation

          Closing arguments for Aaron Donald as defensive ROY

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterJan 29, 2015, 02:00 PM ET
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              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
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          EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The NFL awards show is scheduled for Saturday night with such lofty honors as league MVP, coach of the year and this year's Hall of Fame class scheduled to be revealed.

          Among the hardware expected to be handed out is Defensive Rookie of the Year, the only award for which a member of the St. Louis Rams stands to have a shot to win. That's where Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald comes in.

          Donald has already been given the award in various corners of cyberspace and by the Pro Football Writers of America, making him the odds on favorite to take home the "official" award Saturday night. That award is voted on by the Associated Press' panel of 50 voters around the country.

          So, what are the arguments for Donald to take home the trophy and become the first Ram since linebacker Isiah Robertson in 1971 to win it?

          There are plenty:

          • Donald's nine sacks led all rookies and represent the most by any first-year player in the past three years. That total was second most on the team behind defensive end Robert Quinn and eclipses the eight from Detroit defensive end Ezekiel Ansah last year and Seattle linebacker Bruce Irvin in 2012. It's also the sixth most by a rookie defensive tackle since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

          • Those nine sacks were the second most among all defensive tackles in the NFL in 2014, trailing only behind the 10 of Buffalo's Marcell Dareus. For what it's worth, Pro Football Focus graded Donald as the best defensive tackle in the NFL.

          • Between Weeks 11 and 15, Donald had at least one sack in every game the Rams played. That five-week sack streak tied Donald with Denver linebacker Von Miller and Green Bay linebacker Brooks Reed for the longest streak by any rookie in the past 10 seasons.

          • Donald registered 17 tackles for loss in 2014, the most by a rookie defensive lineman in league history.

          • It took five weeks for Donald to elbow his way into the starting lineup but once he did, he was one of the most disruptive defensive tackles in the league. Without Donald in the starting lineup, the Rams had one sack, gave up 152.5 rushing yards per game and averaged a sack on 0.9 percent of opponents pass attempts. After he entered the starting lineup, the Rams had 39 sacks, gave up 96.25 rushing yards per game and averaged a sack on 9 percent of opponents pass attempts.

          • The lone argument that can be made against Donald is that he didn't play as much or make as many tackles as some of the linebackers he's competing with but given the fact that he's an interior lineman and still produced as much as he did, that should actually be a check mark in his favor rather than against him.

          Donald will face plenty of competition for the award, namely from Oakland linebacker Khalil Mack and Baltimore linebacker C.J. Mosley. Mack was the only rookie in the league with at least 75 tackles and four sacks this season. Mosley led all rookies with 129 tackles and joined Houston's Brian Cushing as the only rookies in the past 10 years to have at least 120 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions in a season.

          Mosley also could benefit from playing for a winning team that advanced to the playoffs. He and Donald both had historic rookie seasons but all things being equal, Donald's impact across the defense should be enough to land him the award.