The Vikings have finally finished up the signings of their rookie draft class, inking first-round pick Dallas Turner to his entry-level four-year deal. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the contract is worth $15.76M with an $8.28M signing bonus. The deal comes just in time as Turner would not have been able to participate in the team’s upcoming training camp until he put pen to paper.
Turner spent most of the draft process being billed as the 2024 NFL Draft’s top pass-rushing prospect. The Fort Lauderdale native wasn’t a starter during his true freshman season at Alabama, but that didn’t stop him from racking up 8.5 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss in a rotational role, earning him freshman All-American honors. Turner experienced a bit of a sophomore slump in Tuscaloosa, only tallying four sacks and eight tackles for loss in 10 starts, but he rebounded strongly last year. Starting all 14 games for the Crimson Tide in 2023, Turner led the SEC in sacks (11.0) and his team in tackles for loss (15.5) en route to becoming a consensus All-American.
As the No. 17 overall pick in the draft, Turner suffered a bit of a slide from his projected draft slot. The two noted reasons for this slide were the unprecedented run of offensive picks to open the night and some medical red flags that had not been widely reported in pre-draft conversations. Still, he was the second pass-rusher off the board (taken two picks after UCLA’s Laiatu Latu) and the third defensive player off the board following Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy.
With Turner’s contract done, now Bengals’ rookie first-round offensive tackle Amarius Mims is the lone draft pick without a signed contract. Cincinnati’s rookie reported to camp Saturday and camp is set to begin on Wednesday. Mims will not be able to participate in training camp until he signs his rookie deal.
Here’s one last look at the Vikings’ 2024 rookie draft class before training camp starts:
- Round 1, No 10 (via Jets): J.J. McCarthy (QB, Michigan) (signed)
- Round 1, No. 17 (via Jaguars): Dallas Turner (EDGE, Alabama) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 108: Khyree Jackson (CB, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 177 (from Panthers through Jaguars): Walter Rouse (T, Oklahoma) (signed)
- Round 6: No. 203 (from Texans through Browns, Broncos and Jets): Will Reichard (K, Alabama) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 230 (from Falcons through Browns and Cardinals): Michael Jurgens (C, Wake Forest) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 232 (from Broncos through 49ers and Texans): Levi Drake Rodriguez (DT, Texas A&M Commerce) (signed)
