So much of the offseason attention around the Minnesota Vikings has focused on quarterback J.J. McCarthy. However, the second of the Vikings’ two first-round picks in the 2024 draft, Dallas Turner, is also a largely unknown commodity entering the season.
Turner was the No. 17 overall pick of the class, and the Vikings traded up with the Jacksonville Jaguars to land him.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis still picked Turner as his “player to watch” for the Vikings.
“Picking quarterback J.J. McCarthy here would’ve been far too easy. So, how about fellow first-rounder Dallas Turner? The Vikings traded a haul to climb to the No. 17 pick for him in the 2024 NFL Draft. Turner played sparingly in his rookie season, mostly because the Vikings had two phenomenal edge rushers,” Lewis wrote on July 21.
“Those two players remain. Still, Minnesota is committed to supplying Turner with more playing time. Will he receive off-the-ball snaps? How will he look rushing off of the edge in his second season? Can defensive coordinator Brian Flores find a way to get [Andrew] Van Ginkel, [Jonathan] Greenard and Turner on the field together? These are three of the more interesting questions to observe once the Vikings take the practice fields.”
Turner logged just a 28% snap share as a rookie, per Pro Football Reference.
Turner played in 16 games, but also saw veteran Vikings teammates and 2024 free agent signings Van Ginkel and Greenard earn Pro Bowl honors. For Turner, even landing with the Vikings was a surprise.
Dallas Turner Gets Honest About Landing With Vikings
Getty| Dallas Turner #15 of the Minnesota Vikings holds up a jersey during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Turner, sporting a No. 93 John Randle jersey, was asked about which teams he felt were most interested in him before he was drafted, and admitted the Vikings were far from it. Minnesota entered the draft with the No. 24 pick.
The trade with Jacksonville left them light on capital in the 2025 draft.
Turner spoke candidly about his pre-draft meeting with the Vikings, presumably under the watchful eye of defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
“I met with six teams,” Turner said on the “CJ & Chat” podcast on July 20. “One thing I peeped in the league is, the combine meetings, you might meet with the team that just want to just get to know you. They know, ‘We might not even be able to have you now, depending on what you projected to be, and stuff like that, or what you end up being. But it’s like teams, they just want to just meet with you and talk to you. But I would – I feel like the teams would never really let you know, though, for real.
“Like for the Vikings, I didn’t know that. I didn’t know that at all. I ain’t going to lie to you. It was – it wasn’t the most fun meeting. I ain’t going to lie to you. But it was definitely a good me. But I wasn’t expecting that at all, though.”
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was surprised when the trade went down.
Turner tallied 20 total tackles, 3.0 sacks, and 1.0 interception in limited playing time.
He could be headed for a step forward in Year 2, but he will have to fend off several of his Vikings teammates.
Dallas Turner Predicted to Face Stiff Competition
Getty| Gabriel Murphy #11 of the UCLA Bruins reacts against the Stanford Cardinal.
SKOR North’s Phil Mackey offered the “hottest Vikings” take that Turner could get usurped by one of their 2024 undrafted free agents, Bo Richter or Gabriel Murphy.
Mackey included Greenard and Van Ginkel, but the panel agreed that Turner is most likely.
“We’re crowning Dallas Turner – Dallas Turner was a first-round pick – purely based on where he was drafted. Because he had a – just a better draft profile. But Dallas Turner didn’t really do anything last year. I think we’re all hopeful and expecting that he’s going to break out,” Mackey said on “Purple Daily” on July 21.
“Right now, Dallas Turner, Bo Richter, Gabe Murphy are all just super talented college players that have yet to show anything in the NFL, and they’re all going to be given chances in that sort of second unit to make some hay the next month in training camp and preseason.”
Turner may need a strong showing in training camp to avoid the Vikings moving others ahead of him, which will undoubtedly spark trade speculation.
