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

Dallas Turner, who was ranked as the top edge defender and a top-10 overall recruit in 2021, appeared in all 15 games during his first year of college football. Although he only started three games, his impressive performance earned him Freshman All-America honors from both 247Sports and the FWAA. Turner recorded 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks during the season.

During his second year, he was able to play in 13 games and started 10 of them. He recorded eight tackles for loss and four sacks, and even managed to score off of a scoop. However, in the most recent season, Dallas Turner took on the alpha role from Will Anderson Jr. and earned a first-team All-American title by surpassing his own personal bests with 53 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

Physical Description: He stands at 6 feet and 3 inches tall and weighs 245 pounds. He is a junior.

Analyzing Dallas Turner’s strengths and weaknesses

Defensive Line:

• 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

Defensive Pressure:

• 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

Weakened Areas:

• 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 Future in the NFL

With an exceptional combination of athletic tools, length, competitive toughness, and demonstrated strong performance last season, Dallas Turner rises above the rest.

Although it would be unjust to compare him to a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, his playing style does bear a striking resemblance to last year’s third overall draft pick, Will Anderson Jr. One noticeable difference is that the current NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year possessed incredibly powerful hands and a strong lower body, which is rare for someone weighing in at 245 pounds, and also had a superior ability to complete his pass rushes.

Despite this, Dallas Turner is known for having superior acceleration and lateral explosiveness, making him a prime candidate for executing cross-face moves and accumulating impressive numbers through twists.

Despite already showcasing his explosiveness, Dallas Turner further solidified his abilities at the combine. He dominated among front-seven defenders, achieving a 40.5-inch vertical jump, the second-best time in the 40 (4.46), and a remarkable 10’7″broad jump. Additionally, his performance in the transitional coverage drills outshined the majority of linebackers.

Although I did not anticipate Anderson becoming a perennial All-Pro, I did expect him to be a top-10 player in his position and a leader for your defense for many years to come. In comparison, I believe Dallas Turner’s potential may be slightly higher, but his starting point is lower. However, if he reaches his full potential, I believe he is certainly deserving of being a top-10 pick.

Ranking: Top 10