Dallas Turner, Edge Alabama: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Turner was a five-star recruit from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in the class of 2021

Many fans and analysts expect Dallas Turner to be Alabama’s next great pass rusher. The junior flashed over his first two seasons, but his path to the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is far from clear.

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Dallas Turner, Edge Alabama: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior outside linebacker from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Background: Turner was a five-star recruit from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 9 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 19 for Rivals, and No. 9 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 12th in the nation with a 90 grade out of 100. Turner helped St. Thomas Aquinas to back-to-back Florida 7A State Championships and the 2019 High School National Championship. He amassed 36 tackles as a senior, including 25 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. Turner earned invitations to the All-American Bowl and Under Armour All-America Game.

Injuries & Off-Field: Will miss spring practices in 2023 recovering from surgery

Awards: 2021 All-SEC Freshman Team, 2021 Freshman All-American (FWAA, 247Sports)

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, field goal block, and field goal units, appears to have above-average arm length, high motor, hits the switch for instant acceleration mid-play, attacks inside rush lanes, uses head and shoulder fakes and euro steps to manipulate the tackle, varies stride length and pacing to set up rush angles and inside cuts, attacks the blocker’s hands and elbows, developing a swim move, long-arm move, flashes of speed to power, aggressive hands that pack pop on contact, strikes the blocker’s chest with powerful hands, initial upper body power to generate separation, potential to raise his power rushing profile, creates separation from blocks with his long arms, uses his long arms to maintain leverage in the run game, pulls down climbing offensive linemen and wheels past them, speed to run down quarterbacks, speed to track down outside runs to the near sideline, sniffs out running back screens, tries to get his hands in passing lanes, handles shallow zone coverage drops and covers the flat, reroutes tight ends in coverage

Cons: Committed four penalties in 2022, lean throughout his frame, high-hipped, narrow hips, late off the line, first step is inconsistent, doesn’t have instant explosiveness off the line, doesn’t consistently display a pass rush plan, pass rush arsenal is in its early stages, lacks diverse set of polished counters, arms stay down on some rush reps, spin move is slow and gets caught by linemen, two-armed bull rush doesn’t displace large linemen, outside rush takes him too far upfield, can’t dip and bend around the edge at a high level, limited bend and ankle flexibility, stonewalled by tight ends in pass pro, sealed inside by tight end blocks, struggles to anchor the point of attack, displaced by linemen rolling downhill, offers nothing against double teams, lacks the agility to make open-field tackles on shifty players, doesn’t demonstrate good awareness in MOF zone drops

Overview: Turner has special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, field goal block, and field goal units. He appears to have above-average arm length. Turner’s motor runs hot as he shows effort in pursuit and continues chasing the quarterback on extended plays. He lacks quick get-off and initial explosiveness off the line, but his quick trigger acceleration mid-play gets him up to speed. Turner deploys from two and three-point stances for Alabama, but he primarily uses a two-point stance. The former five-star recruit attacks inside rush lanes. He uses head and shoulder fakes, euro steps, and varied stride length to manipulate tackles for more favorable rush angles. Turner is developing a swim move, but it’s still slow and easily caught by offensive linemen. His long-arm move is much more effective. The junior shows flashes of converting flashes of speed to power. His aggressive hands pack pop, allowing him to knock back blockers, generate separation, and build the initial phases of a bull rush despite possessing a lean frame. He has the potential to raise his power rushing profile significantly by developing in the weight room. Turner attacks the blocker’s hands and elbows and uses his long arms to maintain leverage in the run game. He pulls down climbing offensive linemen to slip past them. His speed helps him run down quarterbacks and track down outside runs to the near sideline. He sniffs out running back screens and tries to get his hands in passing lanes. Alabama trusts Turner with shallow zone coverage drops and flat coverage assignments. However, he lacks awareness in coverage when dropping into the middle of the field. Turner is lean throughout his frame and has high, narrow hips, which could limit his ability to add functional mass. His pass rush plan is still developmental at best. His pass rush arsenal lacks a diverse set of moves and go-to counters. Turner’s spin move and two-armed bull rush are largely ineffective. His outside rush frequently takes him too far upfield and out of the play. The Florida native can’t dip and bend around the edge at a high level and has limited ankle flexibility. He’s occasionally stonewalled by tight ends in pass protection, and his power rushes are inconsistent in their ability to displace blockers. Turner struggles to anchor the point of attack and is displaced by linemen rolling downhill. He offers nothing against double teams and lacks the agility to make open-field tackles on shifty players.

Overall, Turner lacks the elite explosiveness and bend to be a speed rusher, and he hasn’t developed the build and play strength to maximize his powerful hands and go-to power moves. Turner could develop into an intriguing power rusher if he adds significantly more weight to his base and refines his hand usage.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme or designated pass rusher

Round Projection: Mid Second to Early Third

Size: 6'4", 242 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 04-11-23