Those who closely followed the NFL career of Aaron Donald are likely well aware of the kind of physical specimen that he was. But if you needed any reminder, Matthew Stafford recently informed listeners of the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce about how Donald once pushed a “Make-A-Wish” kid to his limits during a workout.
Stafford joined the Kelce brothers on Wednesday’s edition of New Heights, discussing numerous topics ranging from his new revised contract to stay with the Los Angeles Rams to his relationship with past teammates Cooper Kupp and Calvin Johnson.
There was also a lengthy discussion about Aaron Donald’s work ethic, which Stafford describes as things he has only ever seen Donald do.
“AD, that was something different,” said Stafford. “Just watching him go about his job every single day. The third practice I was there in training camp, we have no pads on. We’re running quick game, I am throwing a hitch to the field and I smash my thumb on his helmet. I was like ‘I just caught the ball.’ Next thing you know, everybody had their guardian caps on. He was crazy in his ability. I would say the respect he got from offensive lines and other offenses was something I have never seen before.”
Jason Kelce, who lined up against Donald countless times throughout his career, echoed Stafford’s sentiments on Donald’s talent and work ethic.
“Yeah, I agree with that. We treated him differently from any other defensive tackle we ever played against. His motor, it was every single snap, every single play. You could not take a play off. He never took a play off. I don’t know how he had that kind of conditioning to this day. The combination of his athleticism, his explosiveness, his strength, and then he just never stopped.”
To further hammer his point about Donald’s work ethic home, Stafford then recalled how Donald previously had a workout go sideways with a cancer survivor go awry because of how hard he pushed him in the weight room.
“The way he worked out… He was crazy in the weight room. I’ll never forget, this was 2021 or 2022 maybe. We had a Make-A-Wish kid who had a year before had a dream of being with Aaron Donald for a day. Thankfully, this kid at this point had beaten the odds and beaten the cancer that he had. It was cool, he came in and he was like doing good. High school kid, bigger kid, loved to play football. And AD was like ‘Cool, come and work out with me.’ I’m walking by, like what is about to happen? I’m over there doing like banded something. And 30 minutes in and AD is ripping curls. Next thing you know, this kid is puking in the trash can in the hallway. I’m like AD, can you please have a little couth, a little understanding. It was unbelievable.”
Funny enough, this story actually got back to the “Make-A-Wish” kid by the name of Kyle Frazier, who still plays football as an offensive lineman at Georgia Southern University. Frazier posted a video on TikTok reliving the moment from his perspective.
“No way, Matthew Stafford just exposed your boy like that man,” joked Frazier. “You are supposed to be my guy, man. I’m a Georgia boy, you played for my Bulldogs man. Anyways, yes the story is true. I am the Make-A-Wish kid that threw up in a workout with Aaron Donald. It’s been a journey and I am still on that grind. If you guys want a storytime, you let me know. Because there are definitely some parts that they are leaving out. Your boy did not go out like that.”
Clearly, everything worked out in the end for Frazier as he continues to pursue his football career. And it just goes to show what kind of dedicated and truly special kind of talent that Aaron Donald truly was.