Vikings Veteran Says Upside Rookie is “Factory Made”
Count Vikings veteran Jonathan Greenard among those who think Dallas Turner has some tremendous potential.
The former Texan spoke with the media not too long ago, moving through a variety of topics. One of the ideas that came up was in regards to Mr. Turner, the rookie edge rusher who was scooped up at No. 17 after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s bold trade up the board. Greenard described Turner as being “factory made.”
Vikings Veteran Says Dallas Turner is “Factory Made”
The basic idea is that Dallas Turner is ideally built to play edge rusher in the NFL. Per the team website, Turner is coming in at 6’3″ and weighing 247 pounds.
The man has super long arms, allowing him to keep an offensive tackle’s mitts off his chest. The thinking is that this will allow for greater vision to read and react as well as increased ability to shed a block to go make a play.
And then within that is some insane speed, something that Greenard mentions.
“Man, kid look like that, running a 4.4? I mean, that’s like factory made,” Greenard notes. The veteran edge rusher then goes on to describe how he’s looking to mentor the rookie.
“He’s a great kid, willing to listen, and that’s the best thing about it,” Greenard notes.
Turner, 21, is coming off of a strong college career at Alabama. The long and strong defender picked up 10 sacks and 14.5 TFLs last year, some impressive production that helps point toward the potential that’s present.
Meanwhile, Greenard is coming off a great season with the Texans in 2023. He started 15 games for Houston, picking up 12.5 sacks along the way. He added 52 tackles, 22 QB hits, and 15 TFLs. The Vikings will be hoping for similar production moving forward.
Greenard is moving into the opening season of the four-year, $76 million deal he signed with the Vikings during the offseason. He’ll be the EDGE1 in 2024, but it may not be long before Turner becomes Minnesota’s best pass rusher.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, Sports Reference CFB, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.