Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is still among the most terrifying forces on defense in the NFL. However, some believe that he's starting to slip.

“I would say a slight decline — not much, he's still the best,” said an NFL scout (h/t ESPN's senior NFL national reporter Jeremy Fowler). “Some of that is a byproduct of what's around him — neither side of the ball was as good for the Rams last year.”

Aaron Donald remains an important piece of the Rams, particularly of the team's defense. Even though the Rams were a huge disappointment in the 2022 NFL season in which the then-defending Super Bowl champions failed to make the playoffs, Donald was among the bright spots on the team. Donald was named a Pro Bowler for the ninth time in his career despite posting just career-lows in sacks with 5.0 sacks and in quarterback hits with 11, though, that can be mostly explained by the fact that he played in only 11 games.

That being said, Donald was not selected to the First-team All-Pro for the first time since his rookie season in 2014. Based on the lofty standards Aaron Donald had set for himself in the past, his 2022 campaign was clearly not one of his best seasons as a pro despite the accolades and numbers that he was still able to collect. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 90.5 in 2022 — third-best among interior defenders. Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs and Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants were the only players who came up with a higher grade than the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.