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Rob Schumacher/The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

Rams hit a diamond in the rough last NFL Draft that’s already proven himself

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brandon Little | Last updated 12/9/23

When you have 14 draft picks in a single draft, some of them better pan out. It doesn’t look like the Los Angeles Rams are going to have any problems there, as they’ve found multiple nice additions to their organization via the 2023 draft.

One of those players is DT Kobie Turner who has sneakingly been one of the better defensive tackles in the NFL as a rookie. After the first couple rounds of the NFL Draft, you’re throwing darts and hoping they hit. The hit rate from the third round on in the NFL is very small. Los Angeles found a diamond in the rough.

Making the jump from college to the pros is hard in any sport. It’s especially hard to do at the defensive tackle spot on the gridiron. Unless you have a refined technique along with needed strength, you probably won’t contribute much early on in the middle of the defensive line.

Turner has had no issues. He’s contributing and has provided another nice punch to a Rams defensive line that already deploys Aaron Donald. If you want to get a glimpse of just how good Turner is, you may want to watch the video below. James Foster from the A to Z Film Room put together a nice video that displays who Turner has been this season.

On the year, the rookie has 5.5 sacks and 47 tackles in 12 games. Turner has made four starts and has five tackles for a loss too. As a third-round pick in the most recent draft, there was no expectation for Turner to come in and be a heavy contributor.

This season, Turner has spent time playing at nose tackle where he is undersized, but it doesn’t stop him from being effective. The former Wake Forest standout is explosive out of his stance and very athletic. He often wins matchups with guards and does a great job of releasing to make tackles.

As good as Turner already is this season, his career trajectory is very high. If he can build off of this season, you’re talking about a player who could eventually be the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL. He has been that good as a rookie to make you wonder if he can’t end up being an All-Pro.

It isn’t like Turner has had it easy either. He’s faced guys like Joel Bitonio and Quenton Nelson — he picked up wins in reps during both of those games. PFF has given Turner a 73.6 overall grade on the season, if that’s your kind of metric.

Turner is not the only rookie who is having a big impact getting after the quarterback. He joins Byron Young from the same draft class, who has five sacks for the Rams too.

We’ll see where Turner ends up in his career. If early signs mean anything, he’s going to end up very good. Only 12 players in the NFL have 20 pressures and 20 run stops right now, the rookie is one of them.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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