Rams pick at 89 … Turner, DT

𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗡: With pick 89 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, the #Rams are selecting DT Kobie Turner

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 29, 2023

KOBIE TURNER | Wake Forest 6024 | 293 lbs. | 6SR Clifton, Va. (Centreville) 4/26/1999 (age 24.00) #0

BACKGROUND: Kobie Turner, who is one of four children, grew up in Clifton with two main passions: football and music. He started out with flag football and then pee-wee and youth-level football. Turner attended Centreville High School and played on the JV team as a freshman. He moved up to varsity as a sophomore, seeing snaps at tight end and middle linebacker as Centreville advanced to the 2014 state title game with a 12-3 record. Turner became a starter as a junior, primarily as a blocking tight end and linebacker. As a senior, he earned second team all-state and first team all-region as both a defensive end and tight end, accounting for 70 tackles and one forced fumble. Turner starting singing in choir in middle school and also learned how to play the guitar, piano and drums. He earned all-state honors in chorus as a senior in 2017. A no-star recruit out of high school, Turner wasn’t ranked by the online recruiting services and went overlooked by college programs. Instead of attending recruiting camps his junior year, he was more focused on his music. His high school teammate and cousin (Caleb Brooks) signed with Richmond in the 2017 class and Turner was introduced to the Spiders’ coaching staff, who extended an offer to walk on. He planned to give football one year to see what happened and ended up earning a scholarship less than a year on campus. Turner also sang baritone for Richmond’s music department Schola Cantorum choir. Looking to challenge himself against better competition, he earned his undergrad degree at Richmond and entered the transfer portal after the 2021 season. He considered offers from Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech before committing to Wake Forest. His older brother (AJ) was a running back and defensive back at South Carolina (2015-19). Turner accepted his invitation to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl.

YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2017: Redshirted Richmond
2018: (11/0) 5 2.5 1.5 0 0 0 Richmond
2019: (12/12) 71 14.5 7.0 1 0 0 Richmond; Third Team All-CAA; led team in TFL; Blocked XP
2020: (4/4) 19 6.0 3.5 1 0 0 Richmond; First team All-CAA; CAA Defensive POY; Team captain; Season played in 2021 spring
2021: (11/11) 54 10.5 4.0 2 0 0 Richmond; Second team All-American; First team All-CAA; 2 FR TDs
2022: (13/0) 38 10.0 2.0 3 2 0 Wake Forest; Third Team All-ACC; Led team in FFs
Total: (51/27) 187 43.5 18.0 7 2 0

HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE N/A (not invited)
PRO DAY 6024 293 31 3/8 10 1/4 76 3/4 – – – – 8’0” 4.49 7.08 31

STRENGTHS: Plays with outstanding balance, flexibility and grip strength at contact … extends and punches off blocks while maintaining body control to slip through gaps … rips, tugs and uses whatever else he can find in his bag of tricks to break down the rhythm of blockers … impressive short-area quickness to operate in constricted spaces … small-framed for an interior player, but has good musculature throughout his body … efficient play recognition skills and doesn’t lose sight of the football … credited with four batted passes in 2022 … competes hard and plays with reckless abandon … his teammates and coaches rave about his work ethic and drive (on and off the field) … consistent backfield production since he entered the starting lineup.

WEAKNESSES: Owns a tweener frame with only average length … will have a tough time against long-armed blockers who get into his chest … his hands are heavy and hungry, but too inconsistent with their placement … inconsistent fundamentals taking on doubles … needs to stay square when working laterally and will occasionally sacrifice his positioning to make a play … needs to continue refining his pass rush repertoire and overall timing … wasn’t a starter in his one season at the FBS level (and registered only two sacks) … will be 24 on draft weekend.

SUMMARY: A reserve in his one season at Wake Forest, Turner lined up primarily over the B-gap in defensive coordinator Brad Lambert’s scheme. A former walk-on at Richmond, he was an FCS All-American before transferring to Wake Forest for his final season where he was part of the defensive line rotation (averaged 40.2 defensive snaps per game in 2022). Nicknamed “The Conductor” for his disruptive skills and burgeoning music career, Turner stays balanced through congestion and his gas tank is never on “E” (accounted for 41 tackles for loss over 40 games played the last four seasons). He plays much stronger than his listed weight, but might struggle against NFL length and power. Turner is a tad undersized and is guilty of freelancing out of his run fits, but he plays with bouncy feet, forceful hands and affects the game with his relentless effort. He projects as a rotational 3-technique in the NFL with potential to be more.

The Rams took Wake Forest DT Kobie Turner at No. 89 overall, continuing to fortify the trenches https://t.co/d8lfPl630k

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) April 29, 2023

from PFF: https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2023-nfl-draft-grades-all-day-2-picks#RD3

R3 (89) LOS ANGELES RAMS (VIA NYG): DI KOBIE TURNER, WAKE FOREST

Pick Grade: Very Good

The Rams grab one of the most underrated players in the class. After producing at an elite level in the FCS for Richmond, Turner transferred to the Demon Deacons and earned a 92.2 PFF grade in 2022 — the second-best mark in the Power Five, behind only Georgia’s Jalen Carter. Turner plays with excellent leverage and possesses strong hands and quicks.

From

https://247sports.com/college/wake-forest/Article/Kobie-Turner-Taken-in-Third-Round-of-the-NFL-Draft-by-the-Rams-209166032/

…

From Coach Clawson

“Everyone will tell you that they want guys who just want to win and to be a team player, but Kobie Turner lives it on and off the field. He wants to be great and will do anything to help the team win. In his one season with us, the impact he made on our program as a graduate transfer helped our team reach a program record seventh-straight bowl game, which is the second longest streak in the ACC. Kobie will be successful at anything he does in life and the Los Angeles Rams just got a player who will impact their franchise and community in a positive way.”

From Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network

“The second non-combine player to be picked. He’s fun to study. He’s a little undersized. 280 pounds. He played in the East-West Shrine bowl. He has a loosened bend. We talked about edge rushers often in terms of their loose and can they bend the edge? This is a real loose athlete along the interior. I think that’s going to come with getting stronger, but he’s very quick. He’s going to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage. And if you want to learn how to play that position, I guess maybe Aaron Donald could be a pretty good guy to learn from.”

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How can you not be excited about Kobie Turner when Les Snead talks about him like this?

Snead "stood on the table" for him in the draft room. That's what you want. pic.twitter.com/qrSky6D3fM

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) July 15, 2023