Dallas Turner scouting report: Exploring the Alabama edge defender's strengths and weaknesses

The number one edge defender and top-10 overall recruit in 2021, Dallas Turner saw action in all 15 but only started three games as a true freshman, earning Freshman All-America honors from 247Sports and the FWAA with 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks.

In Year 2, he started 10 of 13 games he was available for, being down to eight TFLs and four sacks, but adding a scoop-and-score. This past season, Dallas Turner took over the alpha mantle from Will Anderson Jr. and was named first-team All-American himself for posting career-highs across the board – 53 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Profile: 6-foot-3, 245 pounds; JR.

Breaking down Dallas Turner's scouting report

Dallas Turner: NFL Combine

Run defense:

• Capable of making the heads of tackles snap back as he launches his hands into their chest
• For being on the lighter end for edge defenders, Dallas Turner’s ability to play with good sink in his hips and extension of his 34.5-inch arms make him a pretty stout run defender, in the mold of what Will Anderson Jr. was able to do during their time together with the Crimson Tide
• Quickly recognizes when offenses try to seal him on the backside and takes advantage of opportunities to work over the top of those guys, in order to create an angle towards the ball-carrier for himself
• Yet you’ll also see Dallas Turner plug any cutback lane if he catches a tight-end off balance and blows up “duo” plays by digging his hands into his chest and riding that guy into the action
• Shows no hesitation crashing into or wrong-shouldering pulling guards who outweigh him by 100 pounds
• Good lateral agility to mid-point option plays or just redirect with the ball-carrier out on the edge – The ability to stick his foot in the ground accelerate in order to shut down plays out to sideline really stood out to me on a couple of occasions
• Very disciplined with staying home on the backside for reverses and naked bootlegs
• Fights “over the screen” almost as if Dallas Turner was playing basketball on toss plays and swings to the running back, as they try to pin him inside and then has the quick burst to chase down the ball before they can turn the corner, even when it seems that he’s leveraged too far inside

Pass-rush:

• Packs a lot of juice off the snap to threaten the outside edge of tackles, paired with the long arms to counter their strikes early
• Throws out a sudden dip of the shoulder and burst to get around guys after being tangled up with them and then being able to track down the QB
• Capable of creating a softer outside edge for himself by jabbing inside and euro-stepping around basically
• Explosive laterally to cross the face of tackles on stunts into the B-gap as well on delayed loops on three-man games to his side (with the backer blitzing)
• Also flashes a NASTY up-and-under, where he cleanly wins inside after a couple of hard steps up the field
• Has turned himself into an outstanding leverage rusher, with the long-arm as an effective tool to pair with his speed off the edge, at times attacking through the inside pec of tackles in overwhelming fashion to ride tackles into the quarterback’s lap
• Quarterbacks running away from Dallas Turner get tracked down from much quicker than they’d anticipate, because that gives him an angle to show off that crazy pursuit speed
• Last season, Dallas Turner was “only” 14th in terms of total pressures (55), but that was on just the 142nd-most pass-rush snaps (292)
• Was asked to drop into different zones underneath and moved pretty well backwards, earning a 81.0 PFF coverage grade last season, with snaps of carrying LSU superstar receiver Malik Nabers up to a certain depth and running down guys like Texas tight-end J.T. Sanders on screens the other way, as well as showing off his chase speed as a QB spy in certain situations

Weaknesses:

• Could do a better job of creating that half-man relationship and have vision on the ball by keeping his chest clean in the run game, rather than having to look around guys and giving ground in the process at times
• While he’s created a more comprehensive pass-rush plan, he’s still limited in the hand-combats he can consistently rely upon and get those clean wins around the corner
• Wastes too much time with tight-ends and H-backs responsible for him on play-action and pass plays in general
• Leaves his feet regularly when trying to bring down ball-carriers – missed 10 tackles last season (22.2% miss rate)

Dallas Turner's 2024 NFL Draft prospect

Dallas Turner: NFL Combine

Combining athletic tools, length, competitive toughness and how well these guys already played last season, Dallas Turner stands on top.

While it’s unfair to compare him to a back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Year, his game does remind you a lot of last year’s number three overall pick Will Anderson Jr. Where they differ is that the now-NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year had some of the heaviest hands and strongest lower bodies you’re going to find in that 245-pound range and had a better understanding of how finish his rushes.

With that being said, Dallas Turner actually has better acceleration up the field and is more explosive laterally when it comes to projecting cross-face moves and how he could rack up numbers on twists.

Dallas Turner backed up that explosiveness at the combine, where he led all front-seven defenders with a 40.5-inch vertical jump, along with the second-best mark in the 40 (4.46) and broad jump (10’7”), along with looking better than the majority of linebackers in the transitional coverage drills.

So while I didn’t project Anderson to be a perennial All-Pro but rather a top-10 player at his position and leader of your defense for years to come, I believe the baseline for Dallas Turner is lower but if he hits all the way, he actually has slightly higher potential. I think he’s absolutely worthy of being a top-10 pick.

Grade: Top 10