2024 NFL Draft: Alabama LB Dallas Turner, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, declares after Rose Bowl loss

Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner declared for the 2024 NFL Draft following the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff semifinal loss at the Rose Bowl to Michigan. Turner, a projected first-round pick, is ranked by CBS Sports as the No. 10 overall draft prospect and checks in at No. 3 among edge rusher prospects. 

Turner had three tackles, including a sack, during Alabama’s 27-20 overtime loss to the Wolverines. He finished the 2023 campaign with 50 total tackles, nine sacks and a pair of forced fumbles, all of which were career highs. His strong 2023 campaign earned him a number of accolades, notably consensus All-America and SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. For his three-year career in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Turner registered 117 total tackles, 21.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. 

He’ll now look to build off that momentum in pursuit of a successful NFL career. 

Turner’s draft stock 

Although Turner ranks third among 2024 NFL Draft prospects at his specific position, that may as well be splitting hairs. The two higher-ranked edge rushers — UCLA’s Laiatu Latu and Florida State’s Jared Verse — are directly ahead of him and No. 8 and No. 9 overall in the draft prospect rankings, respectively. In other words, Turner is clearly in the upper echelon within his position group, no matter how you cut it. 

CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso projected the Houston Texans to use the No. 27 overall pick — traded from the Cleveland Browns — on Turner, and that draft position speaks more to team needs than it does Turner’s sheer talent.

“Let’s get Turner and [former Alabama edge rusher] Will Anderson back together again, this time in Houston,” Trapasso wrote. “Turner has all the talent in the world and put it all together…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2024-nfl-draft-alabama-lb-dallas-turner-sec-defensive-player-of-the-year-declares-after-rose-bowl-loss/

Author : Dean Straka

Publish date : 2024-01-02 03:31:42

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