Is Dallas Turner a Week 1 Starter for Vikings?
In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings traded pick Nos. 23, 167, and third- and fourth-rounders in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for pick No. 17. With that pick, the Vikings selected rookie EDGE Dallas Turner in the first-round.
Turner was widely regarded as the top edge rusher heading into the draft, and nobody would have bet on him being available that late in the first round. That’s why, when he was still there, Kwesi “overpaid” to move up and get him.
The Vikings were so high on Dallas Turner, according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, that General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah briefly considered sticking and picking him at No. 11, which would have put their mission for a franchise QB in serious jeopardy.
How high were the #Vikings on Dallas Turner last Thursday?
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) May 2, 2024
"Adofo-Mensah, in fact, had briefly considered taking Turner with his first pick in the round and then circling back to maneuver for a quarterback." wrote @SeifertESPN
"For players like that who we would have taken at… pic.twitter.com/7aOwvwCx70
Adofo-Mensah, in fact, had briefly considered taking Turner with his first pick in the round and then circling back to maneuver for a quarterback.
Kevin Seifert – Minnesota Vikings Reporter for ESPN
Where does Dallas Turner stand on the Minnesota Vikings depth chart?
Despite being the widely considered no. 1 edge rusher heading into the draft, there are some questions surrounding whether or not Turner will start for the Vikings heading into the 2024-25 NFL season.
Alec Lewis, who covers the Minnesota Vikings for The Athletic, recently posted his post-NFL Draft depth chart and there was quite a few interesting projections and one of those groups included the edge rushers.
Remember, the Vikings picked up two starting caliber pass rushers in free agency earlier this offseason, in Johnathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, both hand-picked by defensive coordinator, Brian Flores.
On paper, those two are likely to be penciled in as starters entering training camp next season. That would leave Dallas Turner as the odd man out in their base 3-4 defense.
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It is somewhat of a surprise not seeing Turner as a projected starter opposite of Greenard. Van Ginkel put up some great numbers last season, but he was more of a rotational piece for the Miami Dolphins. Regardless, all three of these edge rushers will see plenty of playing time.
Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores has a lot to work with and Lewis sums this up well in his article. Lewis also expects Pat Jones II and Jihad Ward to make the roster as EDGE rushers. He has Andre Carter II, Gabriel Murphy, Owen Porter and Bo Richter being cut.
The year-over-year transformation of this position group is eye-popping. Losing Danielle Hunter is tough, and D.J. Wonnum played admirably, but the Vikings added more speed, more explosiveness and more versatility. The pressure in this room might lie most heavily on assistant head coach Mike Pettine and defensive assistant Imarjaye Arbury. Defensive coaches often say that pass-rush moves are the hardest aspect of an edge rusher to develop, and that’s what players like Turner and Jones need.
Alec Lewis – Minnesota Vikings Beat Writer for The Athletic
How good is Dallas Turner going to be for the Minnesota Vikings?
At this point in time, its unsure when Turner will become one of the starting edge rushers. Despite this unknown, Seth Walder (Analytics Writer for ESPN), recently posted his three year sack projection for rookie edge rushers and interior defensive lineman from the 2024 NFL Draft.
Let’s just say, you’ll like what you see if you’re a Minnesota Vikings fan. Walder has Turner leading all rookie edge rushers and interior defensive lineman with 19.0 sacks over the next three years.
For reference, he has Los Angeles Chargers EDGE Laiatu Latu being projected with 14.2 sacks. Latu was taking two picks higher than Turner. These numbers might seem a little low, but if Turner isn’t a starter in year one or two, it could make sense.
Per @SethWalder, #Vikings EDGE Dallas Turner is projected to have the most sacks in his first 3 seasons (19.0) of any EDGE or DT in this year’s draft 🤯
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) May 16, 2024
📸: @SethWalder pic.twitter.com/Gfx9sCPaqD
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Overall, Turner is filled with some elite physical attributes that will thrive in the NFL. Not only that, but Flores is one of the best defensive coordinators in the league. It’s safe to say that Flores will definitely get the most out of Turner when the dust settles.
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