Aaron Donald, the standout player for the Los Angeles Rams, shockingly announced his retirement on Friday.

With Kobie Turner and Byron Young, the Rams now have the makings of a strong young defensive front.

However, the team now has a huge vacancy in the locker room and along their defensive line without Donald in the mix.

Who then could the Rams try to sign to take Donald’s place? As a matter of fact, the disruption, power, and general talent that Donald provided will be impossible to replicate.

However, the Rams may choose to pursue a guy with a comparable playstyle and significant promise in the NFL Draft who is available.

Of course, we’re talking about Byron Murphy II, the defensive tackle for the Texas Longhorns, who has been compared to Donald in terms of his motor, ferocity, and skill set.

Murphy was a member of the nation’s most formidable defensive tackle combination, which included T’Vondre Sweat, and one-half of the top-ranked rushing defenses. Additionally, Sweat just gave supporters a social media farewell by implying that he will forgo his last season.

Mel Kiper Jr., an NFL Draft expert for ESPN, projects him as a possible first-round selection and the number one defensive lineman overall.

“As I wrote in my second mock draft, when I projected Murphy to the Raiders at No. 13 overall, he has the highest pass-rush upside of any of the interior defensive linemen in this class,” stated Kiper. “Although Aaron Donald was also a 3-technique tackle, he is a touch undersized for the position. No, Murphy is not Donald; I’m merely pointing out that smaller (comparatively) interior pass-rushers have achieved success in the NFL in the past.”

Kiper points out that Murphy is not Donald. Though no one is, he might offer the qualities the Rams would be seeking in a replacement.

The main issue, of course, is that Murphy might be gone by the time the Rams select at No. 19 next month. Nevertheless, the Rams have a history of being active in the draft, so a trade-up for Donald is not completely out of the question.

Perhaps the person who knows Murphy’s skill set the best, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, listed all of the traits Murphy possesses that enable him to be so dominant and influential on the football field.

Sarkisian remarked, “He’s built like a pit bull, man.” “He is powerful. He has incredibly powerful shoulders. He is incredibly strong and swift. He plays hard and has a very good football IQ. Particularly considering his size, those are all really great requirements for a defensive lineman.

Murphy has totaled 29 stops, 8.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks so far this season. and even scored two touchdowns on offense, one of which came against Washington in the Sugar Bowl during the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Everybody something that, with Donald gone, the Rams would adore adding to their defensive line.