After Shea,the Bears better stay away from "undersized" anything!


By Brad Biggs, Tribune reporter
10:31 a.m. CST, January 23, 2014

MOBILE, Ala. — You can get caught up in talking about a few inches Aaron Donald doesn’t have or that he's maybe a little bit light, but there is no mistaking the Pitt defensive tackle's production.

Donald completed a virtual clean sweep of major awards for defensive linemen in college. He won the Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award. He was a first-team All-American and named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

Yes, he was measured at 6-foot-0 7/8 – just a shade under 6-foot-1 – on Monday and weighed in at 288 pounds. But that hasn’t stopped him from dominating this week on the practice field at Ladd-Peebles Stadium leading up to Saturday’s Senior Bowl. He’s explosive off the ball and plays with a great motor and leverage, enabling him to defeat offensive linemen that are much larger. He’s expected to be one of the top under-tackle prospects in the draft and that is one of the Bears' most critical needs.

If general manager Phil Emery does not re-sign Henry Melton coming off reconstructive surgery to repair a torn ACL, the Bears likely will have to address the position in the draft. Emery could double up because you can't have too much quality depth at defensive tackle and while Melton’s physical situation should be clear by the time of the draft in May, insurance isn’t a bad idea even if there are many needs on defense.

Donald isn’t going to be an ideal fit for every scheme, but he might be perfect for the Bears unless they change course and want to go with bigger players up front. Donald’s arms measured 31 3/4 inches and that can hinder him at the next level, but his college production was tremendous. Donald had 11 sacks and 28 1/2 tackles for loss as a senior. He produced 27 1/2 sacks and 63 tackles for loss over the past three seasons.

“I am a defensive lineman,” Donald said. “You don’t have to be 6-6 to be a solid defensive lineman. I feel like I can play the run well and I can play the pass. I feel like I am an all-around defensive lineman. I am more productive at three technique than the other positions.”

If Donald plays well Saturday, there will be more chatter about his ability and less focus on his size.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

had him pegged early in doug's draft machine. DT who rush the passer are rare.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Saw him play in a few games, he reminded me of John Randle, another short smallish DT.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

The next Michael Dean Perry!

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

I see him here. He is a great player if the height is not a big issue for a tackle in NFL.

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Elections have consequences.

The LET HIM FILL out is what they say when they look at a HS kid going college. If you havent filled out at 22-23, thanks but no thanks

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

He's Chris Zorich*

Which will solve the middle linebacker problem.


* not implying that Donald will rob his own charitable foundation.