The Minnesota Vikings had a situation brewing during the first night of the 2024 NFL Draft. They had already selected their franchise quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, with the 10th-overall pick. But they had another decision to make with their second selection of the night.
The board played into Minnesota’s favor when defensive players were selected with the first 14 picks. Laiatu Latu went to the Indianapolis Colts, and Byron Murphy II went to the Seattle Seahawks before general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told Kevin O’Connell that they were trading up to the 17th-overall pick to select Dallas Turner.
O’Connell gave a meme-worthy response, looking like a dog who somebody had just offered a piece of cheese. However, one year later, the Vikings signed Andrew Van Ginkel to a one-year, $23 million extension. The size of the contract may cause some to sound the alarm on Turner’s prospects in the NFL, but it shouldn’t mean the Alabama product has become an afterthought.
According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Turner was the top-ranked edge rusher in the 2024 class, but he needed to grow into his 6’2”, 247 lb. frame and pass-rushing attack. If another team had taken him earlier in the draft, they may have thrust him into a starting role. However, the Vikings had the chance to be patient with his development after signing Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard in free agency and using Patrick Jones III in a situational pass-rushing role.
The process paid off as Turner wasn’t ready to contribute full-time. His 7.4% pass-rush win rate was the lowest among all edge rushers on the team. A 62.7 Pro Football Focus grade on 104 run-defender snaps also showed a need to develop an all-around game to thrive in Brian Flores’ defense.
Some would look at this and ask questions about Turner’s evaluation. But Turner turned 21 the previous February and was adjusting to life in the NFL, which Brian O’Neill noted late last season.
“There’s definitely a learning curve,” O’Neill told The Athletic’s Alec Lewis. “Anytime you’re playing a position in the trenches, you were just more athletically gifted than everybody in college. That’s how I was. That’s how plenty of guys were. That’s how [Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson] was. It takes a little time to understand angles, sets, protections, and what risks you can take.”
Flores also noted that the player Turner is now isn’t the player he’ll be with more experience under his belt:
He’s a young player. He’s got a bright future. I’ve heard the talk about snap counts, and I think it’s just hard to make a determination on a player and what he is based upon seven games in his career. I think Dallas is going to be just fine. I think everybody wants everything right now, and he does too. We’ll get him out there.
The comments suggest it may have taken Turner a year to assess what it takes to succeed in the NFL. Still, if the Vikings were pleased with his development, why would they extend Van Ginkel?
First, you never want good players to leave the building. Van Ginkel was an under-the-radar signing a year ago and turned into a Pro Bowl player as a starter in Flores’ system. The Vikings may have overpaid to keep it around, but both sides clearly wanted a deal to happen.
Another reason is depth. Jones showed the benefits of that with his success as a rotational player, notching seven sacks before cashing in with the Carolina Panthers. Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter were rotational guys before ascending to a full-time role in the 2010s.
Depth is also important. Look at what happened to the Detroit Lions last season. With 13 players on season-ending injured reserve, Detroit’s defense coughed up 45 points in a Divisional Round loss to the Washington Commanders, lighting a 15-2 season on fire. The Lions also had to scramble for a replacement when Hutchinson broke his leg, and having a player of Turner’s caliber could have helped Detroit take a more patient approach.
It’s also not a death sentence if a player doesn’t contribute in his rookie year. While it’s fun to get a game-changing rookie, such instances are few and far between even for a franchise that has experienced Randy Moss, Adrian Peterson, and Justin Jefferson. The Philadelphia Eagles took the same approach with Nolan Smith Jr., and his sack total jumped from one in his rookie year to 6.5 in his sophomore campaign.
Copying the Super Bowl champions isn’t a bad blueprint to follow, and it’s why O’Connell told NFL Network he believes Turner could have “a huge jump” next season. It’s not the viral clip that O’Connell’s draft day reaction created a year ago. Still, it’s a reminder that while Turner’s rookie season didn’t go as planned, he has a long way to go.
