The gridiron gods have spoken, and they’ve carved a new face into the Rams‘ defensive pantheon. Aaron Donald, fresh off hanging up his cleats in March this year, has joined the ranks of the immortals on the NFL’s Mount Rushmore of Los Angeles Rams defensive linemen. This isn’t just any old hall of fame – it’s a monument to the men who turned quarterbacks’ dreams into nightmares.

The NFL dropped this bombshell, pairing Donald with 2 deceased legendary figures: Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, and also Jack Youngblood. It’s like assembling the Avengers of defensive domination, spanning decades of bone-crushing excellence.

Let’s break down this fearsome foursome. Jones, the “Secretary of Defense,” was so disruptive he literally invented the term “sack.” Jones basically coined the term ‘sack’ and made it a big deal in football stats. Jones’ unofficial tally of 173.5 sacks would rank third all-time if recorded. Talk about changing the game!

Then there’s Olsen, the iron man of the defensive line. He made 14 straight Pro Bowls from 1962 to 1975. As one source noted, Olsen excelled at both run-stopping and pass defense. Despite the lack of postseason glory, Olsen’s consistency and longevity are the stuff of legend.

Youngblood, the fourth face on this Mount Rushmore, embodies the grit and toughness that defines football. He played the 1979 playoffs with a broken leg. Jack broke his left fibula while sacking Roger Staubach, but toughed it out and kept playing. That’s not just toughness – that’s the stuff of football folklore. Youngblood’s 201 consecutive starts are a franchise record, proving he was as reliable as he was resilient.

Donald’s own resume reads like a video game cheat code: 111 sacks (third in Rams history), 176 tackles for loss (shattering the previous record), and three Defensive Player of the Year awards. As he put it in his retirement video, “I’m complete, I’m full. I think the passion to play the game is no longer there for me.”

Aaron Donald’s gridiron legacy and Rams’ Honorable mentions

From the “Fearsome Foursome” to the “Aaron Donald Show,” the Rams’ defensive line has been striking fear into offenses for generations. It’s like a blockbuster franchise that keeps delivering hit after hit.

Donald’s retirement at 32 might seem early, but he’s going out on top. As he said, “To think about going through another camp and another 17 [game] season, I just don’t got the urge to want to push myself to do that no more.” But his impact lingers. Cooper Kupp revealed they’re keeping Donald’s locker open last month, just in case the itch to terrorize quarterbacks returns.

While talking legends, let’s not forget the honorable mentions who’ve donned the horns. Jackie Slater‘s 20-year career at tackle set the standard for longevity. Isaac Bruce and “Crazy Legs” Hirsch lit up the scoreboard, while Kurt Warner’s rags-to-riches story could be a Hollywood script. Orlando Pace protected blindsides for over a decade. Marshall Faulk redefined the dual-threat running back, becoming the only player with 12,000+ rushing yards and 6,000+ receiving yards. Eric Dickerson‘s single-season rushing record has stood for 40 years. And then there are the old-school gunslingers, Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin, who led the Rams to NFL championships in the ’40s and ’50s.

In the end, Donald joins Jones, Olsen, and Youngblood, not just as great players, but as transformative figures who changed how we view defensive linemen. It’s not about the size of the player in the fight, but the fight in the player – and these Rams had enough fight in them to last a lifetime. Who are your picks for Mount Rushmore?