Tag: Kobie Turner

Instant analysis of Rams drafting DT Kobie Turner: A disruptor next to Aaron Donald

The Rams added a disruptive defensive tackle in Kobie Turner, who should get even better playing alongside Aaron Donald

The overwhelming sentiment is that the Rams nailed their first two picks in the draft by taking Steve Avila and Byron Young. Their third selection, however, had some fans wondering what the Rams are getting with Kobie Turner.

He’s a lesser-known prospect because he didn’t receive an invite to the combine despite being a standout player at Wake Forest in 2022. In his one season with the Demon Deacons, he had two sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles and two batted passes.

In other words, he stuffed the stat sheet.

Turner is a similar size to Aaron Donald, coming in at 6-foot-2 and 288 pounds. Obviously, no one is going to confuse him for the future Hall of Famer, but Turner is a disruptive force on the interior like Donald.

He’s a little bit undersized but finds ways into the backfield with his quickness and get-off when the ball is snapped. At 288 pounds, he’s not going to overpower many bigger guards and centers on the inside, but he can beat them with his agility and hands.

No one should expect him to replace Greg Gaines at nose tackle because that’s not the position he plays. More likely, he’ll rotate with Donald as the 3-technique at defensive tackle, lining up in the B gap, as he did most of the time in college. However, at Wake Forest, he also aligned as the 5-technique at times and showed the ability to rush the passer against the tackle.

He’s great as a run defender, too. According to PFF, he led all Power 5 defensive tackles with a run defense grade of 93.2 last season.

With Donald helping coach Turner up, the sky is the limit for the incoming rookie. He could even be the team’s succession plan at defensive tackle in the event that Donald retires after the 2023 or 2024 season.

Turner will be a rotational player early on with the chance to get snaps at defensive tackle or end, but don’t expect him to necessarily be a starter out of the gate. He needs some refinement but there’s a lot to work with here.

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Twitter seems to think the Rams got an underrated prospect with Kobie Turner

Twitter reacted to the Rams selecting Kobie Turner out of Wake Forest with the 89th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Los Angeles Rams had a few needs on the defensive side of the ball and they’ve used two straight picks in the 2023 NFL draft on defensive players. After bolstering their pass rush by selecting Byron Young out of Tennessee with the 77th overall pick, the Rams have now taken Kobie Turner out of Wake Forest to strengthen the interior of their defensive front.

Turner transferred to Wake Forest in 2022 after spending a few years at Richmond in college. In his lone season at Wake Forest, Turner notched 10 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and two sacks.

With the Rams making another pick to improve their defensive front, fans and analysts alike reacted on Twitter to Turner’s selection.

Rams select Wake Forest DT Kobie Turner with 89th overall pick

The Rams continued to bolster the trenches, selecting Wake Forest DT Kobie Turner at No. 89 overall

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With their second pick in the third round, the Los Angeles Rams selected Wake Forest defensive tackle Kobie Turner at No. 89 overall.

Turner wasn’t invited to the NFL scouting combine, making him the second player in this class to be drafted despite not going to Indianapolis. That made him a little bit of a sleeper, but he’s an impressive player.

At 6-foot-2 and 288 pounds, he’s not the biggest defensive tackle, but he’s a disruptive force on the interior, using his power to get into the backfield and push back blockers.

Last season was Turner’s first at Wake Forest after transferring from Richmond. He had 10 tackles for a loss and two sacks in 2022 after recording 10.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks in 2021.

Turner joins Steve Avila and Byron Young as the Rams’ third pick on Day 2.

Secret Superstars of the 2023 NFL draft: The best underrated prospects

Who are the best underrated prospects in the 2023 NFL draft? Doug Farrar runs down the sleepers who could make surprising differences in the NFL.

Several NFL executives have already made it clear that they’re struggling to find as many as 20 prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class deserving of a first-round grade.

That may look like a pull quote, but it’s not entirely uncommon. Drafts like the 2023 one, which starts Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST, are wider than they are tall, which means that while there aren’t a ton of obvious first-round guys, there are second- and third-day players who can make a difference on an NFL roster right away.

And that’s why it’s so important to have your scouting go all the way through all seven rounds and beyond. Ask the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who got their eventual starting running back (Rutgers’ Isiah Pacheco) in the seventh round. Or the Seattle Seahawks, who bagged starting cornerback Tariq Woolen out of UTSA in the fifth. And of course, there were few more interesting rookie stories in 2022 than the tale of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the most relevant “Mr. Irrelevant” in pro football history.

Looking ahead to the most talented sleepers in the 2023 draft class, there are prospects who have been pushed down in loaded position groups, those who need a bit of finishing work to fully unlock their NFL potential, and those who don’t have a total skill set, but who do a few things very well. They are all more than worthy of NFL consideration, and just because they’ll probably hear their names called in the late second or early third day of the draft, don’t automatically discount their NFL potential.

That’s a mistake the smartest NFL teams never make. Here are my most gifted sleepers — the “Secret Superstars” of the 2023 NFL draft.

Vikings 2023 7-round mock draft: Matt Anderson’s 7.0

In his latest seven round Minnesota Vikings mock draft, @MattAnderson_8 has the Vikings focusing on the outside before moving inward.

The Minnesota Vikings have made some great moves in the early stages of the offseason by filling some key needs. They were quick to sign several quality players in free agency, including pass rusher Marcus Davenport and cornerback Byron Murphy.

While these signings have undoubtedly strengthened the team, there are still some holes that need to be filled. The upcoming NFL Draft presents the Vikings with an opportunity to address those needs and add some promising young talent to their roster.

Alex’s Guys: 2023 NFL draft ‘crushes’ the Chargers might love

Celebrating Valentine’s Day with Alex’s 2023 NFL draft crushes the Los Angeles Chargers might love.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

While for many, today is about celebrating a cherished partner, this year it also marks the official transition between the NFL season and draft season.

With the Super Bowl a couple of days into the rearview mirror, it’s time to focus on the upcoming NFL Combine, slated to occur from February 28 to March 6.

In the spirit of the day, here are a few of my draft crushes heading into the cycle.