Former Los Angeles Rams champion and offensive lineman Rob Havenstein shared this hilarious and wild Aaron Donald practice story.
The Los Angeles Rams were once an organization that struggled to put winning seasons together, but that has dramatically changed in recent years.
They've turned things around in a big way, and one of the foundational pieces of that change was future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. Donald spent the first two seasons of his career in St. Louis, but the last eight of his career in Los Angeles.
Donald has become a staple in Los Angeles and certainly in the Rams franchise. He's defied the odds in his illustrious career and is sort of an enigma in the football universe.
He spent his 10-year career terrorizing opposing offenses, and that was no different in practice. Donald gave the Rams offense fits in practice, so much so that the offense didn't even bother blocking the eight-time All-Pro.
Former Rams champion and offensive lineman Rob Havenstein shared in a recent podcast appearance that nobody blocked Donald in practice.
"Everyone always asks me – especially when it comes to Aaron – it’s like, 'Hey, how’d you block Aaron in practice? What was that like?'" he said. "And I was like, 'Nobody blocked him. Literally, nobody blocked him.’ If you happened to block him on a play, you were being like, ‘All right, coach. Time out real quick. I’m about to get put on my a--. Next play, it ain’t going to go good for me, so just throw the play somewhere else.'"
The former Pitt Panther is well on his way to Canton, and it's by no mistake. Although he was undersized, especially at his position in the interior line, Donald used other intangible qualities to be great.
Donald relied heavily on his elite explosiveness, superior leverage, and an unmatched work ethic that allowed him to dominate larger opponents and redefine the position. Standing at only 6-foot-1 and weighing 280 pounds, Donad played much bigger than his height.
He went on to defy the position, and the accolades showed. In his inevitable Hall of Fame career, Donald won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, a Super Bowl championship, and is arguably the most disruptive defensive player in NFL history.
As for Havenstein, while going up against Donald in practice may have been a daunting task, he was outstanding during his time with the Rams. The former offensive lineman was both elite and productive, serving as a true cornerstone for the team.
He did his part to lead the Rams to their second title in franchise history in the 2021 season. The Rams will look to reach that mountain top again, but this time without Havenstein or Donald.