by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of Alabama Athletics.
The NFL Draft talk never ends, and we are here at Draft 412 in an effort to keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars. From today until draft night 2024, we will bring you mocks, profiles, team needs, and everything else related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - Alabama, LB, Dallas Turner
Name- Dallas Turner
Pos- LB
Team- Alabama
HT/WT- 6’4” 240 lbs.
Born- 2/2/2003
Home – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Dallas Turner attended American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, and in his junior season, was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Sun-Sentinel after finishing the season with 15 sacks and three forced fumbles. After the season, Turner would transfer to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale. He had 13 sacks and 25 tackles for loss his senior season. A 5-star recruit, Turner picked Alabama over Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Oklahoma.
As a freshman in 2021 for Alabama, Turner saw action in 11 games and recorded 18 tackles, to go along with 13 quarterback hurries and 8.5 sacks. Turner was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team.
In Turner’s sophomore season, he did not take that big jump that many thought he would. Though he only had 4 sacks, he was used in coverage situations more often. Turner had 11 tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in what was an overall disappointing season for Turner. Many scouts and people in the football industry think Turner will turn it around this season.
Turner uses his hands well to disengage blockers and in one-on-one battles to gain separation from defenders. He’s above average in coverage and has the length and reach to break up passes while playing zone.
Overall, he’s an all-around athlete who has the prototypical size and speed that all NFL general managers love. As a defender, he understands angles in pursuing ball carriers and is a true pass rusher who can consistently pressure the quarterbacks.
If he has any flaws, it’s that he struggles at times with tackling mechanics and drags runners down instead of wrapping them up. His speed is NFL-caliber but not elite for the position, and he needs to develop a deeper repertoire of pass rushing moves to become a force at the next level. He must do better at locking down the perimeter against outside runs.
Strengths
Good in coverage
Plays a complete game
Disengages blockers well
Good short yardage burst
Weaknesses
Needs more pass rushing moves
Problems containing the outside at times
Tackling Mechanics need work
Final Analysis
Dallas Turner is the “new” outside linebacker type that the NFL wants. He can cover a tight end or a running back one play and then put pressure on the quarterback the next. Turner’s name should be called in the first half of the first round
Draft 412- DRAFT PROJECTION- Top 20 pick