Dallas Turner Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

School: Alabama

Class: Junior

Position: EDGE

HT: 6’4

WT: 251 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #38

Background: Dallas Turner is the next dominant Alabama edge rusher that always seems to be a constant in college football. Turner is a former consensus 5-star recruit from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He attended high school football powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas High School and became a top-10 player in the recruiting class. Turner won back-to-back Florida 7A State Championships at St. Thomas Aquinas and totaled 13 sacks as a senior. He was viewed as the best edge rusher in the class and was selected to both the Under Armour All-American Game and the All-American Bowl. Out of high school, Turner had offers and recruiters to go anywhere he so pleased. However, it is hard to pass up playing in the SEC for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

College: Alabama always has deep rosters of NFL-caliber talent, but Turner still found a way to make an impact on the defense as a freshman. Turner was selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team and saw significant action in all 15 games. He tallied 8.5 sacks as a freshman, a testament to how effective he was despite not being an every-down edge rusher. In 2022, Turner played in all 13 of Alabama’s games, but his production dropped from his freshman year. He still had good process, it just seemed as if offensive tackles were more keyed in and focused on what Turner was doing after his dominant freshman season. 2023 saw Turner get selected as a consensus First Team All-American. It was his most productive season yet.

Strengths: Dallas Turner is an effective speed rusher who gets off the line in a hurry. Turner is quick and light on his feet for the position, something that opponents are not used to being forced to deal with. He sets the edge with active hands and impressive footwork. As a pass rusher, his motor is evident as he never stops moving his legs in an effort to collapse the pocket. He does not just use his hands recklessly either, he has good technique to free him from the grasp of offensive linemen. His long arms keep these offensive tackles from gaining any firm grip on Turner and he is able to get up into the pads of his opponent. A promising sign out of Turner over the course of his career at Alabama has been the consistent upward trajectory that his play has been on. He has improved every year and seemingly every week.

Weaknesses: Turner can often become infatuated with winning a rep. So much so that he tends to work too far up the field, failing to set the edge and putting himself behind the play. Turner needs to put on a bit of muscle weight. If he plays at the current weight, he will not be able to beat professional tackles. The added weight could lead to more power moves in his arsenal so he does not have to rely so heavily on finesse. Up until this point, power has been lacking in his game, if he wants to be able to play at the next level he is going to have to find that.

Conclusion: Dallas Turner is a raw prospect that will not demand a heavy workload right away. However, he can bulk up his frame without losing any speed and it would greatly benefit his playstyle.

Scheme Fit: 3-4

Ideal Role: OLB

Best Team Fits: CHI, SEA, LAR

Player Comparison: Baron Browning

Player Grade: 84.7