Javon Kinlaw believes he can be better than Aaron Donald

Javon Kinlaw believes he can be better than Aaron Donald

Javon Kinlaw believes he can be better than Aaron Donald
by Christian Alamodin
January 22, 2020

With the offseason edging closer than ever, teams are now fixated on the NFL Draft. Players who declared for the draft are doing everything they can to attract the attention of scouts, and one of those players is defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.

While he’s shown enough quality that he will be considered a top NFL Draft prospect, he didn’t stop there. The junior compared himself to one of the league’s best defensive linemen in Aaron Donald.

Luke Easterling of The Draft Wire was among the press when the young lineman was asked about his potential to carve out a career in the NFL. He was extremely confident, as he said that he believed that he can be better than the Rams superstar.

South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw on whether he can be the kind of player Aaron Donald is:

“I think I can be better.” #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/doOWON7UXY

— Luke Easterling (@LukeEasterling) January 21, 2020

It’s always great for NFL Draft prospects to show confidence in their games. In a league where results and performance matter a lot, this approach will get him on different teams’ boards. They will look at his stats and see if he does have the walk to go with the talk.

So far, it seems like he is a great prospect to get. Through three years with the Gamecocks, he notched 42 tackles, 17 TFLs, 10.0 sacks, eight pass deflections, four fumble recoveries, and four forced fumbles. He will be a great addition to teams that need a boost on their defensive line.

However, putting his name in the same breath as Donald may be a bit too soon. The Los Angeles Rams defensive line counts on him, and his 12.5 sacks — despite being a very good number in the NFL — is actually a downgrade from his performance last season.

If Kinlaw does believe that he can be greater than Arnold, he will have to do a lot of work to do so.

Nonetheless, the NFL Draft is approaching at the speed of light.