Upon further review: Even the team that ended up drafting Aaron Donald was among the 12 teams that passed on him at the top of the 2014 NFL draft.
The fear: He was too small to play defensive tackle in the NFL.
The hindsight: Already a first-ballot Hall of Famer with three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, one All-Decade team selection, six first-team All-Pro selections and eight Pro Bowls — and counting, at age 30.
"I think it was [Anthony Barr's] senior year and they were kind of up for some similar awards as far as college awards," said Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks, who was a year behind Barr at UCLA. "And Aaron Donald won them, and we were kind of like, 'Who's this guy coming up from Pitt?' He's definitely been really good."
Indeed.
Eight of the players selected ahead of where the then-St. Louis Rams took Donald have combined to earn 24 Pro Bowls, including Barr's four with the Vikings.
Khalil Mack, taken fifth overall by the Raiders, has one NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and three first-team All-Pro selections. And yet there isn't a team in the top 11 that would now take their guy ahead of Donald. Even the Rams, who made offensive tackle Greg Robinson a major bust at No. 2 overall.
Here are the top 13 picks from 2014:
- Texans: Jadeveon Clowney, DE (South Carolina)
- Rams: Greg Robinson, OT (Auburn)
- Jaguars: Blake Bortles, QB (Central Fla.)
- Bills: Sammy Watkins, WR (Clemson)
- Raiders: Khalil Mack, LB (Buffalo)
- Falcons: Jake Matthews, OT (Texas A&M)
- Buccaneers: Mike Evans, WR (Texas A&M)
- Browns: Justin Gilbert, CB (Oklahoma St.)
- Vikings: Anthony Barr, LB (UCLA)
- Lions: Eric Ebron, TE (North Carolina)
- Titans: Taylor Lewan, OT (Michigan)
- Giants: Odell Beckham Jr., WR (LSU)
- Rams: Aaron Donald, DT (Pittsburgh)
