Former Pitt standout Aaron Donald, now with the Los Angeles Rams, Saturday became the first pure defensive tackle to win The Associated Press NFL defensive player of the year award since 1999.
Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown finished a distant second to Rams running back Todd Gurley for the offensive player of the year award. Gurley got 37 votes to Brown’s eight.
The defensive player of the year award is often the province of outside pass rushers and backs, but Donald broke the trend by earning 23 votes to Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell’s 17. Warren Sapp of Tampa Bay was the most recent defensive tackle to win the award.