The Rams won’t have Aaron Donald on their defensive line this season, but they may still be able to benefit from his experience.
Donald announced his retirement in March and part of the team’s plan to replace him at defensive tackle came into focus during the second day of the draft. That’s when the Rams traded up to acquire a second-round pick they used to select Braden Fiske, who starred at Florida State after transferring from Western Michigan last season.
Fiske was never teammates with Donald, but he has spoken to the former Ram since joining the team and has plans “to get some workouts in during the next couple of weeks before training camp.” Fiske has one big lesson down before any meeting, however.
“I have to be me,” Fiske said, via DJ Siddiqi of Forbes. “I have to build my own legacy and that’s what I’m looking forward to. I don’t feel like I’m really filling shoes, but I have to create my own shoes. That’s kind of what it is. I’m just excited to be a part of it and I know that’ll kind of always be the comparison of who’s going to fill his shoes, but somebody has to do it.”
Kobie Turner and Bobby Brown will also play key roles on the defensive line for the Rams and they’ll need all three players to thrive in order to replicate anything like the impact Donald had on opposing offenses.