EDGE Dallas Turner Prospect Deep Dive: Can The Elite Athlete Overcome His Strength Deficiencies?

In every draft, there seems to be at least one prototypical speed rusher who’s undersized and struggles defending the run. This year, that player would be Dallas Turner, out of Alabama. At only 240 lbs, the first thing that stands out about Turner is his play strength. As a pass rusher, he can compensate with elite quickness and finesse, but he can’t do that as a run defender. He’ll have a limited role from day one, but if given time, he can put on some healthy weight and potentially be a star player. In this article, we’ll dive deep into his pros and cons and try to give an answer to the question in the title.

Five all-22 games and his highlights were evaluated, and clips from his film are broken down here. All relevant traits were graded based on his film. His scouting report also factored in stats and analytics, such as PFF grades. Use promo code TREYSCHNEIDER on Underdog Fantasy to match your deposit up to $100. Please gamble responsibly and leave your feedback on Twitter @FBIntellect.

D-Line Stats

Film Analysis

This clip above is an excellent example of how freakish of an athlete Dallas Turner is. The QB here is Jayden Daniels, who’s got special mobility for a QB, and he catches him from scrambling away. He doesn’t use a legit pass rush move here, but the pure speed is on full display.

Turner flashes a nifty dip-and-rip move here. His footwork is a bit sloppy, but he has enough upper body strength and bend to pull this off. His get-off was also a key factor in making this play.

When playing the right role, Turner has the ability to blow a run play up like this. This is where he’s just faster and more explosive than everyone trying to block.

Grades

OVR Grade: 1-100

Traits/ Skills

(Grades are subject to change until draft day.)

Dallas Turner’s Pros and Cons

Dallas Turner Bio

• Dallas Turner is your classic speedster off the edge who struggles in run defense. If his lackluster run defense skills can be sheltered, he can become a damn good pass rusher.

Pros

• Elite first step for a prospect paired with a natural fluidity
• Adequate length to succeed at EDGE in the NFL
• Attempted a wide variety of moves at Alabama
• Exceptional bend and lower half flexibility – can win with pure speed
• Showed flashes of some dominant moves
• Has the flexibility to blitz from an off-ball Linebacker stance
• Can man up against backs and has the ability to be used as a spy
• While his play strength is still subpar for NFL standards, it did improve in 2023.
• Put up stellar numbers against SEC competition

Cons

• Needs to learn how to get a better pad level
• Mediocre ability to identify the run
• Struggled at the point of attack against college competition; he’ll be a liability in the run game if he doesn’t put on some more functional strength
• While he showed an effort to attempt power moves, he needs to improve his execution

Combine – TBD

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Pro Day – TBD

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All-22 Games Watched

• LSU, 2022
• Texas, 2022
• Texas, 2023
• Texas A&M, 2023
• Ole Miss, 2023

Final conclusion on Dallas Turner

Unlike most of the prospects I’ve evaluated so far, I feel confident about who Dallas Turner is. Whether Turner can overcome his lack of size and strength depends on the coaching he gets. It’s not like his power is awful, but NFL Tackles will be much stronger in the pros. When Alabama lost Will Anderson Jr., I assumed Turner would take a step down, but he didn’t. In fact, he got even better, and that’s something you love to see.

If he gets paired with some other high-end talent and a competent DC, his weaknesses can be sheltered, which could lead to a very talented pro player. Overall, Turner is a fun player, but whoever takes him has to acknowledge he is a raw player who’ll need time before he becomes something.