There was excitement in the Minnesota Vikings’ draft room when they turned in the card to select edge defender Dallas Turner with the No. 17 overall pick. Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores said it brought a smile to his face.
Flores’ reaction may prove more than justified if Turner proves to be their “most dangerous new addition” as Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler estimates.
“Turner was occasionally quiet at Alabama, but his explosiveness and bend should translate right away to the NFL. He’ll need to improve on early downs, but he has the athleticism to play the fringe areas and a skill set that could evolve into something special,” Fowler wrote on May 26. “Veteran free-agent additions Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard should help lighten the load for him as well.
“Turner working off Greenard … is extremely intriguing.”
The 6-foot-4 Turner recorded 10.0 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss at Alabama last season. He could be stepping in for the departed Danielle Hunter (Houston Texans). Hunter set a career-high with 16.5 sacks last season.
Dallas Turner Profiles as ‘Impactful’ Pass Rusher
Greenard (12.5 sacks) and Van Ginkel (6.0 sacks) both set career highs last season. But Turner could be a true difference-maker off the edge.
“Long and athletic with the explosive traits needed to become an impactful NFL pass rusher. Turner’s first-step quickness and elite closing burst are important building blocks, but he still needs to work on his process from Point A to Point B,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlien wrote in his pre-draft evaluation of Turner.
“A team would be wise to widen him out and allow him a better runway to ignite his burst and overwhelm tackles with his speed. He’s added 20 pounds since coming to Alabama, but he struggles at times to stack and shed run blockers or set a firm edge.”
Zeirlien noted Turner’s inconsistency in “attacking angle.” But he may be in a great place to learn; under the aggressive Flores.
The Vikings blitzed a league-high 51.5% of the time last season, per Pro Football Reference.
Dallas Turner Pick Brought Smiles, Tears to Vikings
“I’m not a big smile guy, but I’ve been smiling these last 24 hours,” Flores said in a video featuring footage from the draft shared by the team on May 20. “He was high on our draft board, and I’m sure high on a lot of draft boards considering the amount of text messages I got after we got him.”
The Vikings had designs on Turner with the No. 23 overall pick, which they acquired in a pre-draft trade with the Texans. But General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah insisted they needed to move up for Turner.
Turner was one of 13 prospects to attend the draft. He had a different but equally jubilant reaction to the news.
He said he cried but added he was looking forward to joining a “very good organization.”
“I was definitely a little anxious to get picked up a little bit,” Turner said of his extended wait on draft night. “But everything falls in place. I’m a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason.”
