Danielle Hunter may not have been a first-round pick—the Minnesota Vikings found him in the third round back in 2015—but the four-time Pro Bowler definitely has a knack for sacking quarterbacks. The same can be said about Dallas Turner, who actually was selected in the first round.
While Turner hasn’t been given a chance to show off his pass-rushing skillset in an official NFL game quite yet, he has had a chance to go up against Christian Darrisaw, PFF’s 5th-best pass-blocking tackle in 2023.
Dallas Turner > Danielle Hunter?
So far, Darrisaw’s been impressed with the 21-year-old’s game during OTAs. So much so that he gushed to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson about how Turner’s spin move is somehow even quicker than Danielle Hunter’s was.
“I think Dallas is going to be special. One-five (referencing Turner’s jersey number), getting him, kind of excited just to see that draft pick go across the board. He’s definitely going to help us. His explosiveness, he has that burst. He’s quick. He had a spin move last week that was quicker than Danielle’s, I was like damn, like, this guy’s going to be special. Quicker than Danielle’s man, I don’t want to give it away, but yeah for sure. No doubt.”
Christian Darrisaw on Dallas Turner
Thankfully, Darrisaw said Turner didn’t pull off the spin move on him, but seeing it from afar drew a “holy f—” response from the Vikings’ left tackle.
Darrisaw also had positive reviews on Jonathan Greenard, the projected starting edge rusher who inked a four-year, $76 million contract in free agency.
“Just watching him throughout the year last year, he had an exciting year. We got two good ones.”
Darrisaw on Jonathan Greenard
If the Vikings’ new pass-rushing tandem, plus Andrew Van Ginkel, can lead to more pressure for Brian Flores’ defense, it will only make Minnesota’s secondary better, too. After allowing the 24th-most passing yards in the NFL, there’s plenty of room for improvement in Minnesota, and Turner could be part of the solution.
