6/14/22 Segment 3: Positional Power Rankings

The Standard gets to the defensive line in their offseason positional power rankings.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
The Steelers Standard on Steelers Nation Radio and podcast on
Steelers dot Com. We have been doing our series of
power rankings for position groups here on the Steelers Standard
as we work our way through the off season. We
finished the offense. We did Edge Rusher onto some episode
that we did last week, so you can go back

(00:25):
and take a list and you can find all of
our episodes that we've ever done Apple, Spotify, Steelers dot Com,
Steelers app wherever you find your podcast. We make it
super easy for you to go back and listen or
to listen to the latest content that we've produced for
you guys. But on this episode, we're gonna look at
the defensive line position. We're gonna talk about those gentlemen
with their hands in the dirt in the trenches taking

(00:46):
on those massive offensive lineman's down in and down out
as they try to stuff the run get to the passer.
There really incredible athletes when you think about it. They
have to carry so much weight and I don't no,
I don't mean that as far as fats concerned. Some
of them might have a little bit of a gut,
but it's a ton of muscle too, and just a
lot of coordination that they have to have with so

(01:08):
much mass that they're working with. So these guys are
really some of the most respected position group I have
in the league. In when you want to have a
winning football team, it can go a long long way
to have someone at the very very top, at the
very front of your defense just controlling the line of scrimmage.
So without further ado, let's get into our top ten.

(01:30):
I don't even know if we need an honorable mention
just because it's it's tough again to get down to
pick out of these lifts. But I'm gonna start with
a player for the Washington football team. And the Washington
Football team is the only team that has two players
in my top ten as far as their defensive line
is concerned. So Washington Football Teams or should I say
Commanders because that's their name, now, it's got a lot

(01:53):
building with those two. And then of course you've got
Chase Young as the prolific edge rushing rookie, so a
lot up front for them. But Darren Pain is gonna
be my number ten on this list in contract negotiations
with Washington obviously is he's gonna be entering his fifth
year in the league. But you want to talk about
a guy that plays every game. Man, he's only missed
one game in his entire career. Sixteen games played as

(02:15):
a rookie, all of them started, then fifteen games played
as a sophomore he only started nine, but then sixteen
and sixteen and seventeen and seventeen last year. He always
gets some sacks. He has five as a rookie as
his high mark, but four and a half sacks is
when he had last year. But his ability to just
stop the run and just be a force in the

(02:36):
middle of that defense. He had a career high and
quarterback hits last year with fifteen. Um, he's not gonna
get the shine. He's gonna always probably be the third
fiddle between Chase Young and Jonathan Allen. Uh the ladder
who will appear on my list a little later. But
that's a great trio they have up front there in
Washington and and Darren Payne. Maybe he'll get a little
I don't want to say he'll be injured because it's

(02:58):
clearly not like that, or he'll be may get a
little steff to it syndrome going on where he's so good,
but he's almost the forgotten one. Just because there's so
much talent around him at that same group on his
same team. Very possible. I actually don't have him on
my list, by the way to it, probably in your
top tennis. Absolutely. I actually wanted to say that when
we were talking about top or possible honorable mentions. But

(03:21):
without a doubt, Tom, I don't think you can you
can make the argument that he should have been left off.
So Darren Pain, congratulations, You're on Tom's top ten because
Steph two retired. Oh wow, congrats, it's great news from
my top ten guy, my number ten guy. Way. So
he's now going from a couple of different places. I

(03:44):
think he's he's hopped around from where was it, Minnesota
to Baltimore to Vegas. I think he could find his
home here. He's been a little bit of a mercenary.
I think he's gonna find his home now on probably
the best defense he's played on since leaving Minnesota, and
it is with the Indianapolis Colts. I think there's another
guy on this list. You said you only have the Commanders.

(04:06):
Is the only team with two people on the same team,
or is the only team with two guys? I have
the Colts as my only team with two guys in
the same team. Um, but yeah, I got into gok
Way and I think playing alongside someone who all mentioned
later to forts Buckner is going to help him a lot.
So I know he's been kind of a journeyman, but
it's he's still very young, so I kind of like
his chances of maybe having a little burst in his

(04:28):
step this year number nine for me, I go to
Atlanta and Grady Jarrett. Hey, yeah, I got graded Jared
as well. Six ft three, five pounds, so he's not
necessarily the biggest guy as far as his you know,
height is concerned, but my god, does he use that
quickness in that leverage to really get after You know,
he's not Aaron Donald, but I guess you could call
him maybe a poor man's Aaron Donald just because of that.

(04:49):
You know, people would say, oh, he's too small for
that position, but he uses that his his size to
his advantage with that leverage and you know, amazing sack numbers.
Last year. Uh he only had one sack in fact
four the year prior, He's had twenty six and a
half for his career. He always plays, though he barely
ever has missed the game. I think he's missed only

(05:10):
about four or five games in his entire career. Uh
twelve quarterback hits last year, one the year prior to that.
The guy has just been a force in that Atlanta defense.
And it was a force in that Atlanta defense. Um
when Atlanta was, you know, going to playoffs and going
to the super Bowl, he was a big factor too.
So he's been around the block for a while. He
will be entering into i believe his seventh eighth year

(05:36):
in the NFL. So veteran presence from Grady Jarrett. Um,
but one of the more underrated players because he plays
in Atlanta and Atlanta stinks. Atlanti stinks. You really don't
get the shine, especially when your team stinks. It's really
hard to get the credit at that position. And the
problem too is that over the past couple of years
people were saying, oh, well, it wasn't Matt Ryan's fault.

(05:56):
The defense really bad, But really Grady Jarrett was the
only player that was serviceable and that was worth keeping.
Right now, now Atlantis is in this free fall. I
don't even know if they're really even trying to rebuild.
Like we talked about the Houston Texans in our last
episode with doing our NFL tears, and we at least
said it's not the Texans fault. They're not a bad team.

(06:19):
I mean, yeah, they are, but at least they're building
towards something. I don't know what the Falcons are really
building towards, right, building towards probably getting either a top
five pick next year to get a good quarterback, or
maybe they think they have something in Ritter right. But
the only thing is that even if they get that quarterback,
there aren't enough pieces around him. Where we're looking at guys,

(06:40):
We're looking at teams like the Jets and the Lions
and the Jaguarson. We were saying, Oh, these teams are
really building towards something. They just need that one piece.
I don't think. I don't think that quarterbacks gonna help Atlanta.
But getting back to it, yeah, I agree with you.
I like I like Jared, but it's just so unfortunate
for him to be on such a bad team. Number eight,
for me, is very very proven veteran in Philadelphia, Super Bowl,

(07:06):
Super Bowl champion. Uh definitely spent more years in the
top five of a list like this than he did
towards the bottom half, but just getting up there in
age now he will be number He will be thirty
two this coming season. Oh my god, almost a ten
year career already for the man. But I got Fletcher
Cox checking in here. Always such an impactful player as

(07:26):
far as either getting to the quarterback, stopping the run.
A bit of an everyman when it comes to that
uh unit at the very front. He's been an a
p All Pro once. He's been on the second team
AP team three different times. Uh, He's been a Pro
Bowl or six times. Like I said, he wanted Super Bowl.
A great track record for for Fletcher Cox. Gonna go
down as one of the best Philadelphia Eagles in team history.

(07:49):
Borderline Hall of Fame career overall in general, I'd say,
maybe play a couple more seasons at a decent level
and then we'll really start talking about that. But whenever
they do in Philadelphia. As far as mus d M
Hall of Honor, he's absolutely in it. He was right
in the heart and soul of that Super Bowl winning
team from Philadelphia. And again, honestly, the only reason that
he's not higher on this list is probably just the

(08:11):
age factage. But I could also argue the other way
and say The only reason he's on my list right
now is because I got a lot of credit for
what he's done in this past I haven't a little
bit higher, but my number eight guy, I got Trey Hendrickson,
not on my list, not on your list, sneaky, sneaky pick.
Cincinnati signing him this past year and then him getting
another career high and sacks. I mean, it seems like

(08:34):
he's going to be a staple on that defense and
seemed like Seattle. I don't know why it was going there.
Cincinnati really did themselves a favor by betting on him
early and then allowing them to be the favor to
resign him. I mean, I think he had double digits.
I think he had like twelve and a half sacks
this year, maybe was in the top three of all
defensive lineman when it came to sacks in total in

(08:56):
one I think he's a really good young piece to
have in Cincinnati. I think he's gonna be a leader there.
Transressor guy. Maybe not the flashiest name, but I think
someone who's definitely gonna be coming up on people's radars
more and more as he as he gets older. Number
seven going to New York, going to the Jets, and
I'm gonna take Leonard excuse me, the Giants and I'm
gonna take Leonard Williams. I actually just kept him off

(09:18):
my list. He's a force man and again another guy
that's just playing on such a crappy team. So it's
hard to really comprehend how good he is or understand
just how impactful that player is. But on a bad
Giants team, he has been a really good player Jet
you know, spent his entire career in New York. For
both teams, he had eleven and a half sacks in

(09:41):
I mean in thirty quarterback hits you want to take
you want to talk about pressure from up the middle,
and then the season he only had six and a
half sacks and fourteen quarterback hits. But you know, this
is a guy who was the third in the Defensive
Rookie of the Year voting. He's been to a Pro
Bowl once in his career. Um, I think he's still

(10:01):
got a lot of potential. He's only twenty eight years
old and this will be his third season with the Giants,
his second full season with the Giants after being traded them,
so still trying to break in on a team. There.
But can you imagine the worst two teams to play
for in the past, Why I have six years of
your career. In fact, I think over the span they

(10:21):
are the worst. They are by far. That's why I
think I kept him off my list. I could have
put on him, put him or Jarrett In. I think
when you're looking at guys, good guys on bad teams,
it really hinders the individual when they're on such a
bad team. So that's why I kept him off my list.
But I understand why. I mean, it's it's just such

(10:43):
a struggle and I don't imagine him enjoying being in
New York. I can't imagine it either. Um although each other,
I mean, he didn't choose, he got traded from one
New York team to another New York team. But again,
these guys are hard to really give the credit they
deserve when their team has been so epically bad, because
you know, what do you really get from a dominant

(11:06):
down lineman when your team is just terrible all around?
It's it's not really that you know, jaw dropping or
doesn't really jump off the page what Leonard Williams would do.
But I think he is a really, really good player,
and I think he does deserve No. I I don't disagree.
I think he's great, but it's so it's just so

(11:27):
unfortunate to see someone as talented as he is on
such a bad team teams right right, my number seven
guy a little bit younger. I got Vida Va here,
he's my number six. Oh there you go, so Vita,
I mean, what can you say? He had only four sacks,
but that really is not representative of his his overall play.

(11:49):
I think he is when people look at the Tampa
Bay defense, how we kind of did in the last
episode with Tom Brady being the focus of that that
particular conversation we were we were saying how Brady did
a good job of going from one team in New
England hopping to the other team in Tampa Bay because
there was there was evidently more talent there in Tampa Bay.

(12:12):
And I think you could say that the Tampa Bay
defense and the start, it's the talent starts with Vita Via. Well,
literally it does, because he's the first he's the first
defense line of defense. But I think it's a stat
that's very interesting to me, is in so not this
past year, but in the year prior Via fractured ankle

(12:33):
in Week five for the Buccaneers. Now, the Buccaneers had
a fine season without him, still moving forward, but they
were only giving up two point eight yards per carry
on the ground. When he got hurt. That number jumped
up to four yards per carry for the rest of
the season. They're always at the top as far as
best run defense is concerned in the NFL when Vitave
is healthy. Was the same story last year. Top five

(12:55):
run defense in the league, and it starts with vita
Via up front. And by the way, those four sacks
were a career highlight to your for him too so
and who knows what if he hadn't gotten her in
could have had more. But it is just a he is.
I at one of the best run stuffers in the
NFL for sure, and I think he had five and
a half stuff. I don't know if that's an official

(13:16):
category here, but I'm on ESPN dot com right now
and they haven't at five and a half. Well, then
I guess it's official. And that sounds like a lot
of stuff to me. I don't want to say that
it's bad because Vitave is such a great player. It
has to be good. But you're right about him being
you know, the front and center of that Bucks defense,
that where it really starts and it works back from
him exactly. But moving it was my number six, you're

(13:40):
number six. My number six was someone you had already
on this list. Um, so when you mentioned previously I
have Fletcher coxs checking. It's hard to hard, Yeah, hard to.
He's this guy off this list is probably, I mean
he was. He was an all decades player right in
for the two thousand and tens. Give how much he
has left to play for the decade. He hasn't dropped

(14:05):
off at all as he's gotten older. You could say
maybe he's gotten better with age, kind of like a
Cam Award aging like a fine wine. So it's very
possible this guy. You can see this guy in to
all decade teams. He's the best player on that Eagles
defense by far and away. He's the leader of that
Eagles defense by far and away. And like like you said, Tom,
it's you just can't leave him off the slits would

(14:27):
be disrespectful to the NFL to to not recognize this
guy despite him being older, and the reason I have
him over someone younger like Vidavit or Tree, Hendrick Center
Jarrett is because he's been doing this for so long
I got I like veterans ship, but I like consistency
over eight more than five year window. And that's clearly
what we've gotten out of Fletcher Cox over his entire career,

(14:51):
breaking a breaking into my top five at number five.
Jonathan Allen the second Washington Commander to make I think
as first round pick from Washington in ten. He's made
one Pro Bowl in his career and that was last year,
so he is trending upwards. Will be age when it
comes to this coming season. He had nine sacks last year,

(15:13):
which is a career high, and there's a ton of
pressure coming up the middle. But again, the biggest the
thing that goes with these commanders is they have so
much talent between Alan and Pain and Sweat and Chase Young.
I mean, they can't get after the quarterback from four
or five different places on the field. And it's one
of the best, you know, units on paper as far

(15:35):
as rushing and the quarterback is concerned. But Alan does
so much more than just that. You know, he's moved
under the inside at the d tackle spot. He played
d end a little bit at the beginning of his career.
But you get guys in like pain and and chase
and sweat like you gotta bump guys in. And he
plays the nose now plays d tackle and that's a
lot of pressure coming up the middle, but also a
pretty stout run stuff as well. So I think Jonathan

(15:59):
Allen is a is a marvelous player and um a
really great run defender to compliment his good passing skills
and another thing that was at the pass rushing skills.
Another thing that was written up about him that's great
is he's got a lot of strength to break up
double teams, which means he can break up those double
teams and get his his other guys on the offensive

(16:20):
line free on one on ones or you know, push
maybe his guy into their guy and free them up
that way. So I think Young will probably as we
move forward to get but I think Alan might be
the low key most important. I mean, he definitely had
his best year of his career last year. He's been
in the league one I think going on five May,
sixth year now had his best year this past year.

(16:42):
And I think what you just said, Tom is very
indicative of that. Me He's not the shiniest guy, but
he can be maybe the most threatening, maybe the most
deadliest too, the opposing offer. I would say most important
to the commander's defense. He's the he's the he's the
he's the man on the front line, you know what
I mean. And I think that especially his ability to
just eat and absorbed double teams and break them up,

(17:04):
that's so valuable, especially in the middle of a defense
like that. Number four, I have to forced Buckner checking
in here, Okay, So I think we have the top
same top four guys. Colts got him from the San
Francisco forty niners a couple of years ago. Um, what
a great trade that was for them. It really helped

(17:26):
give Darius Leonard another person on that defense to, you know,
work with Buckner upfront, Leonard in that linebacking corps in
the middle. Um. Always relatively healthy, barely missed any games
in his entire career, always kind of sniffs around that
seven sack mark ever since he got his career high
twelve and eighteen. He had seven exactly last year. He

(17:47):
gets a lot of quarterback hits. So the forced bunker's
a guy that does a bit of everything where he
gets to the quarterback, he hurries the quarterback, he stuffs
the run. Um it to every guy on this list
now from the top up, is going to be able
to do everything. Well, it's not gonna be Oh he's
gonna run stuff for Oh, he's a pass rusher from

(18:08):
from the middle of the field. No, like these are
your five star players when it comes to defensive lineman
and the Forest Buckner is no exception of that rule. No,
not at all. And as I said, I had him
and my number three, my number four was Chris Jones.
One was gonna because your number three, Chris Jones is
my number three. So we'll stick to Buckner and then
we can move on to Jones. But I think Buckner

(18:30):
is I mean, we know, um, Darius Leonard in the
middle is probably that the face of that defense. But
I I think you can make the argument that Darius,
I'm sorry, that the Forrest Buckner is maybe the best
player on that defense, just maybe not the because Darius
Leonard has been there. Oh, I think a little better.

(18:51):
We'll be interested to see when we do our inside
linebackers power rankings where Leonard ends up. It'll be in
the top five. I know that, Oh, for sure, I
don't know. I mean, are we gonna do it? I mean, yeah,
we have to do only doing middle linebackers. Were doing
linebackers across the board. I mean outside linebackers are basically edges.
So that's okay, So we already the edges, so just
middle linebackers. So he made he might be, but I

(19:12):
think he made it all plots team his first year
with the Colts, and I'm telling you, Tom, with the
addition of Yank and gok Way there, I think it
could be the classic case of so many other people
we've talked about during our top ten lists, is you
bring in another guy and that takes all the attention
away from you and you can shine so much brighter

(19:35):
than you thought possible. This is probably the best defensive
line made that Buckner's going to have in his time
spent with the Colts. He was on that Super Bowl
team with the Niners, so I can't really say he
had anyone better because he was playing alongside Nick Bosa
during that time. So here now in Indianapolis, I think
he could have one of his best seasons moving forward

(19:56):
with another great defensive lineman playing next to him. Still
just twenty eight years old as well, so a lot
of tread left onto Forest Buckner's tires. Chris Jones, my
number guy from the Kansas City Chiefs. I think that
he was the best player on the Chiefs defense last
year by far. Super Bowl champion with Kansas City, has
been a Pro Bowl or three times. He's been on
the second team ap uh three out of the last

(20:19):
four years. So been a staple as far as the
face of the defensive lineman in this league is concerned
for a while now fifteen and a half career or
fifteen and a half is his career high in sacks.
He got that in twenty eighteen and nine sacks last year. Uh.
Always getting after the quarterback, always hurrying the quarterback, but
never sacrificing the run stuffing ability either. And when it

(20:42):
came to the Chiefs last year, they were a two
man show. It was Tyron Matthew in the back end
and it was Chris Jones upfront. And other than that,
their defense was abysmal. And I really think that their
defense was one of the reasons why they fell short
of the Super Bowl this year is that they didn't
have the defense that could stop at Joe Burrow from
making fourth quarter, second half comeback. So a lot was

(21:03):
on the shoulders of Chris Jones, and I'm not sure
if they've done anything to really help them take that
off of his shoulders this year. So it's gonna be
a lot riding on Chris Jones, and I have no
doubt that he'll get his and be dominant and have
maybe eight nine sacks, stuff to run constantly. But as
far as the Chief's defense is concerned as a whole,
that is one man on an island right now. As
far as I'm concerned, it seemed like the Chiefs goals

(21:24):
for the off season were to help Patrick Mahomes fill
the void of Tyreek Hill, not so much help help
the defense kind of bolster back up after losing someone
like Tyrone Matthew and helping out someone like Chris Jones. Right,
they prioritize Mahomes over Chris Jones, And can you really
blame them when it's Patrick Mahomes, No, of course not. No,

(21:47):
you're going to prioritize Mahomes. Chris Jones obviously, I think
maybe doesn't get as much credit as he possibly deserves
because he plays on the same team as Mahomes. When
you're that act of a defensive player, you're going to
be no matter how good you are, you're going to
be probably outshined by your quarterback if he's that good.
And if you're playing on the same team as Patrick Mahomes,

(22:08):
of course, Patrick Mahomes is gonna get the spotlight. So
I think like there are certain guys like t J Watt.
Right when he played last year, he won deep boy
and his quarterback did no favors in order to take
any spotlight attention away from him. Right, it was all
about t J Watt. It was it was t J
watts team last year, even though it was Ben's last year,

(22:29):
it really was t J's team. So here it's the
kind of the opposite, whereas Chris Jones is this really
seller player, but he's not going to get that that
attention just because Patrick. Teams are gonna be worried far
more about Patrick Mahomes and they are gonna be about
one Chris Jones. With the other ten guys playing next
to him number two and number one are obviously Cam

(22:50):
Heywood at two and Aaron Donald at number one. You
put Cam in to to Cam hey we're two time
first team All Pro, second team All Pro in the
year in that he missed it. So for three straight
years he's at least been on the second team All
Pro team. He's a guy that's getting better with age. Really,
it's incredible. Um, he's only missed two games since you

(23:13):
want to talk about longevity at that position, and he's
only had one season where he's really lost games to injury,
and that was twenty sixteen. Other than that, he's played
at least fifteen games in every single season ten sacks.
Last year was his uh second season getting double digit sacks.
He had twelve and seventeen, which was a career high

(23:34):
and I actually sold him short a little bit. He
also made app First Team Pro that year as well,
So he's been on the Pro A P Pro three times.
He's been on one of the AP teams at least
four out of the past five years for Mr Hayward. Um,
I mean an absolute legend when it comes to this
team is probably I'll go out on a limb here
and saying maybe the biggest legend in Steelers football history
that has not won a Super Bowl. Oh ever, ever,

(23:58):
wha you put him over to Marti Dawson. Yep, WHOA
You've got more names? Is that only? No? I think
that's the two biggest names you can really up right,
Um Louie Lips, but I put him over Loui Lips.
I put him over Louie Lips for sure, But I
put him over a B you gotta, I mean, just

(24:20):
because I hate a Byte, but AB is real close.
That's tough in terms of actual quality of player, not
just you're obviously when it comes to the Steelers, you
incorporate importance to the franchise and likability. And that's that's
where Cam ex sells, right. He's he's a great player
and everybody loves him. But I can't even think of

(24:42):
someone who was maybe not the best player, but people
actually love just because he was a good person and
a good teammate. I think those are the top two
rights too, And Cam might be number one, even from
the old folcus. I don't think you'll get pushed back.
And is number one number one? You better hope that changes, though,

(25:02):
yes I do. Number one on this list Aaron Donald
the King, I mean, best defensive player in football. I'd
say so, right right above t J. Watt still just barely,
but I guess TJ has got the record in the
deep poy to say otherwise, right now, So those two
are neck and neck. But what can you say about

(25:23):
this guy? Seven times, he's been on an All Pro team,
he's been a Pro Bowl eight times, he's won the
Deep point three times. He just got his Super Bowl
ring last year, and you know, all the talk in
the off season was, you know, from him when he was,
you know, faiming at retirement potentially, was I got my ring?
Like that's the last thing I needed to check off
my list as far as accomplishments in the NFL. He's right,

(25:44):
that's really all he less has left for the fact
that he's still decided to come back and he's still
the best of his position in the best in the
sport maybe, and now he's the highest paid at it.
But yeah, I don't think we need to waste much
more time talking about Aaron Donald, because I mean, Saron Donald,
you're living under a rock if you don't know how
great this guy is. Literally, I've heard people who have
seen him play say he's the closest thing to me

(26:05):
and Joe Green that they've seen since me and Joe Green.
He throws people like rag dolls. Do you think It's
insane to see how fast he gets into the backfield sometimes.
Do you think he should have won Super Bowl m
v P over Um Cooper Cup last year? I would
not have been opposed to it. What do you have
two sacks in the Super Bowl, including that the last
one where he started to walk down the field pointing
at the ring finger saying to give it to me.

(26:27):
I mean, he's just and it's not just the thing
about Aaron Donald is I've never seen a guy who
would maybe get shut out of the sack category but
still impact the game more than him Like he just
he disrupts so many plays for the team because he's
in the backfield before they can even set things up.
I mean, this was a couple of years ago at
this point, but when the Rams came to play the Steelers, um,

(26:50):
it was obviously you got a game playing for for
Aaron don You got a game playing well unless a
and then you don't know who he is, which is ridiculous.
But we should double team that guy. He looks pretty good. No,
what's his name? Uhere to school? Anyways? I remember that
game against the Rams, the only time that we've seen
the Steelers go up against Aaron Donald in recent memory

(27:12):
because of how the schedule works and the whole game,
it was close, right, and finally the Steelers got ahead,
they got their lead, and yet they were I think
that the Rams of the punt the ball and the
Steelers were backed up on their own five yard line
or something, and then Aaron Donald comes in it and
force of the safety, and then the game is totally

(27:32):
different from that point moving on. And then I think
the Rams are trying to drive. But then it was
Joe Hayden to make it Fitzpatrick who came up with
their own defensive play to secure the win. But that
game was over all that always had to do was
kind of run down the clock. But Aaron Donald said, no,
I'm gonna sack you and then sack you in the
end zone to force to give my team two points
and get the ball back. He's just that good. I'd

(27:53):
love to make Cam Hayward number one, but again, sometimes
you're just born in the wrong era. Aaron Donald is
a for sure Hall of Famer, first ballot guaranteed. Lock
it in right now, lock it in before the Super
Bowl win. I think he's gonna go down. Not only that,
he'll go down on the Mount Rushmore of defensive players
in football? Is Cam Hayward a Hall of Famer? This
is the guaranteeine he needs to play a couple more year.

(28:18):
Did he make the two thousand and ten All Decade Team?
Think you did? I don't know. I think he might have.
I think the only se who have done so was
a b in um um pouncing when it comes to
not when it comes to Hayward versus versus Donald, it's
just a matter of of someone historically great being in

(28:39):
front of you. It has nothing to do with Cam
or any negative towards Cam. It's just sometimes you're born
in an arrow where you have one of the best
players ever. But do you agree with what I said
that he's going to be on the Mount Rushmore football
players in NFL history? Donald? I don't know who the
fourth would be, but right now, the top three on
my head Joe Mean Joe, Lawrence, Taylor, and then Aaron All.

(29:00):
I don't know who the four I'd have to struggle
to come up with. If there's two for sure that
you can put up there, it's Taylor and Joe. Yeah,
they're in there, no matter what I think. It's Donald
and we'll work on the fourth well, you know what
you think about it. We'll talk next. It's a good question,
but I'll do it for this episode, and they'll do
it for our power rankings of defensive lineman. We'll be
back again later this week with some fresh episodes for you,

(29:21):
so you've got something to look forward to Steelers Nation.
But until then, he's Jacob rerect I'm tom op from him,
and this has been the Steelers standard.