Tag: Kobie Turner

Kobie Turner already making a good first impression on Aaron Donald

Aaron Donald likes what he’s seen from rookie Kobie Turner thus far, saying “he’s been having a great camp”

After letting A’Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines leave in free agency, the Los Angeles Rams are desperately looking for two players to step up along the defensive line. They added two rookies in the draft, selecting Kobie Turner in the third round and Desjuan Johnson in the seventh, but both players have a lot to prove before they’re handed starting jobs up front.

Turner is off to a good start in his first NFL training camp, impressing Aaron Donald through three days of practice so far. Donald spoke highly of the rookie out of Wake Forest, saying he’s looked good so far this summer.

“Yeah, he’s doing great. He’s a smart guy. He understands the schemes, he’s working hard,” Donald said. “So far, I think he’s been having a great camp. We get the pads on Monday and we’ll see how he does, but he’s been doing good so far. I’m confident with him being out there right now just from the knowledge he’s got and picking up the schemes and things like that. And what I’ve been seeing so far on film, he looks good.”

Turner was selected 89th overall after a successful career at Richmond and Wake Forest, consistently disrupting things on the interior for opposing offenses. He’s a similar size to Donald, standing 6-foot-2 and 288 pounds, so he could presumably back up the All-Pro when he needs a breather.

Turner doesn’t necessarily have the size to play nose tackle and the Rams might want some more length at defensive end, but with how often they rotate their defensive linemen and move them around, he could find a home somewhere up front.

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Kobie Turner agrees to deal with Rams, leaving only 1 rookie unsigned

Kobie Turner has agreed to terms on his rookie deal with the Rams, leaving Byron Young as the only player unsigned in L.A.

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And then there was one.

On Friday, Universal Sports Management announced that rookie Kobie Turner has agreed to terms on his contract with the Rams. It will be a standard four-year deal, keeping him under contract through the 2026 season.

That leaves Byron Young as the only rookie still not under contract with the Rams; he was the team’s second pick in the draft this year, going 77th overall out of Tennessee. Turner was their third pick, also going in the third round like Young, but 12 picks later (89th overall).

Turner was a productive player at Wake Forest and was viewed as one of the more underrated players in the 2023 class. He had 10 tackles for a loss and two sacks in his lone season at Wake Forest in 2022.

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Only 2 of the Rams’ 14 draft picks remain unsigned

The Rams have made a lot of progress when it comes to signing their draft picks, leaving just two players unsigned

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There’s technically no rush for the Los Angeles Rams to sign their rookie draft picks, but they certainly do want them all under contract before training camp so there are no issues. With such a massive draft class, signing all of them has taken some time, but Los Angeles is making progress.

After signing Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, Zach Evans and Ochaun Mathis last week, the Rams have just two players left to sign: Kobie Turner and Byron Young.

Rookie contracts are structured based on the rookie wage scale, which pays them based on their draft positioning, so the actual negotiations between the agent and the team should be fairly simple.

However, there is wiggle room when it comes to guaranteed money, as we saw with Steve Avila.

In past years, the Rams have often gotten their entire draft classes under contract all at once rather than signing them one by one, but there’s really no right way to get these done.

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Draft reaction: Los Angeles Rams select DL Kobie Turner No. 89 overall

Draft reaction: Los Angeles Rams select DL Kobie Turner No. 89 overall

The Los Angeles Rams select their second straight defensive lineman in a bid to retool their defensive line that suffered heavy losses moving into the offseason with the selection of Wake Forest defensive lineman Kobie Turner.

A fifth year senior for the Demon Deacons, Turner made the most of his transfer from Richmond after being a contributor for the Spiders for the four previous seasons. In his final year of college football Turner made an immediate impact for his new team, putting together 25 tackles, 28 quarterback pressures, and two sacks on the season. Turner’s quick twitch style of play makes him a perfect rotation piece for future hall of famer Aaron Donald should he need a breather or miss time similar to last season.

Turner will not be a starter right away, and will be a rotational lineman behind the likes of Aaron Donald and Marquise Copeland. Learning from Donald can only benefit the rookie, and if Turner can absorb everything from his teammates, he could find himself opposite of Donald in the following season.

Kobie Turner ‘spent a lot of time’ studying Aaron Donald in college

Rams rookie Kobie Turner learned a lot from Aaron Donald before even becoming teammates this year

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When it comes to playing defensive tackle, there are few players – if any – in NFL history better than Aaron Donald. That makes him the perfect player to study for young prospects who are trying to reach their potential.

Rams rookie Kobie Turner is now teammates with Donald but he learned a lot about the All-Pro’s game before he even landed in Los Angeles. While in college at Richmond and Wake Forest, Turner studied Donald’s game a bunch.

“I watched him every year. I remember multiple years with different coaches having film studies on his work and just the way he approaches the game, his hand placement and the moves that he’s done,” Turner told Heavy.com this week.

Like Donald, Turner isn’t a the biggest defensive tackle. Donald has made a living by using his leverage and quickness to beat offensive linemen, and Turner – who’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 288 pounds – will need to do the same.

Despite being undersized, Turner plays with good power and a high motor, never giving up on a play even when he’s blocked initially. Having watched Donald for years, he’s tried to take a similar approach, particularly when it comes to his hand usage and placement.

“I’ve emulated or have tried to emulate the best that I could and incorporate into my own game,” Turner said. “When you’re the best to ever do it, I’ve definitely spent a lot of time learning from him before even getting here.”

Turner will have a chance to start right away with the Rams after Los Angeles lost Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson in free agency, but he’ll need to earn that role in practice – beginning now in OTAs and eventually in training camp and the preseason.

Watch highlights of Rams rookie DT Kobie Turner

Check out some of Kobie Turner’s best plays from Wake Forest last season

When he was selected at No. 89 overall, Kobie Turner was just the second player in the draft to come off the board after not receiving a combine invite. Of the 88 players selected before him, 87 were invited to Indianapolis where they went through drills and got to meet with teams around the league.

That made Turner a sleeper in this class but the Rams didn’t let him fall out of the third round. They’re getting an undersized defensive tackle with good quickness and a knack for disrupting things in the backfield, which sounds a lot like Aaron Donald’s game.

That’s not to say Turner will become the next Aaron Donald, but he’ll greatly benefit from learning under the future Hall of Famer. And he’s already a solid player on his own as he joins the Rams.

Check out highlights from Turner’s one season at Wake Forest in 2022, during which he had two sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles.

Rams added 2 of PFF’s 6 highest-graded DTs in 2023 NFL draft

Kobie Turner and Desjuan Johnson were among PFF’s highest-graded DTs in college before being selected by the Rams.

Throughout the 2023 NFL draft, the Los Angeles Rams made a concerted effort to improve in the trenches on both sides of the ball. And with the selections of Kobie Turner and Desjuan Johnson during this year’s draft, the Rams added two of PFF’s highest-graded interior defenders in terms of career grades.

With the 89th overall pick in the third round of the draft, the Rams took Turner out of Wake Forest. Turned transferred from Richmond to Wake Forest in 2022, where he would produce 38 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and two sacks.

The Wake Forest product had the highest career grade among interior defenders, according to PFF. Turner even had a higher grade than guys like Jalen Carter and Calijah Kancey, who were both taken in the first round.

After making a trade with the Houston Texans on Day 3 of the draft, the Rams ended up having the final pick in the 2023 NFL draft. With that, they selected Johnson out of Toledo with the 259th overall pick.

Johnson finished with the sixth-best PFF grade among the draft-eligible interior defensive linemen, putting him only two spots behind Carter. In his final two seasons at Toledo, Johnson accumulated 135 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

While PFF grades aren’t the end-all, be-all for players, the Rams certainly got two interior defenders that have upside.

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2023 NFL draft: Players selected with picks the Giants traded

The New York Giants made three trades this offseason, including two during the draft, so what became of the picks they dealt?

The New York Giants made several draft day trades to move up and secure the players they coveted in this year’s NFL draft.

The Giants traded up one spot in the first round, swapping picks with the Jacksonville Jaguars — from No. 25 to No. 24 — to prevent against being jumped for Maryland defensive back Deonte Banks. They also sent the Jags a fifth (No. 160) and a seventh (No. 240) to seal the deal.

On Day 2, the Giants sent a third-round pick (No. 89) and fourth-rounder (No. 128) to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the 73rd overall pick, which they used to select Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.

And let us not forget the Giants sent a third-round pick (No. 100) to the Las Vegas Raiders for tight end Darren Waller earlier this offseason.

The total cost of moving up during the draft was a net three picks. Here’s a quick rundown of who was selected with the picks the Giants traded away.

Watch Rams’ Kobie Turner sing a beautiful rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’

Kobie Turner has some serious pipes and he showed them off with a beautiful rendition of “Amazing Grace” last year

By now you’ve probably heard that Kobie Turner is a disruptive defensive tackle who should help the Rams as a pass rusher next season. What you may not know about him is that he’s a fantastic singer.

While at Richmond, Turner actually sang baritone in the choir. That’s not a skill that will help him on the field, but it makes him even more likable off the field.

Last year at Wake Forest, Turner sang a beautiful rendition of “Amazing Grace” during an interview with the Winston-Salem Journal. You can check out Turner’s voice in the video below.

Turner also sang “Long Time Coming” during a Martin Luther King Day performance in 2020 while at Richmond, which you can watch below.

He’s got power on the field and pipes off it.

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4 things to know about new Rams DT Kobie Turner

Get to know Rams rookie Kobie Turner, who’s a fantastic singer and disruptive defensive tackle

Kobie Turner wasn’t as well-known as the Rams’ first two picks in the draft, Steve Avila and Byron Young, but he’s a disruptive player on the defensive line and should have an impact in a rotational role. Like Young, he’s on the older side as a prospect, being 24 years old already, but that didn’t deter the Rams from selecting him on Day 2.

Turner will be an easy player for fans to root for once he suits up for the Rams and shows off his ability on the interior. Off the field, he also has an unexpected skill: singing.

Here are four things to know about Turner, the Rams’ new defensive tackle.