BFlo's ultimate chess piece: Dallas Turner

There was talk all summer about how Turner looked like a different player. More confident, flying around, making plays every day. This shouldn't come as a surprise. He started ascending last year as the 3rd pass rusher and now you can see why the Vikings traded Greenard. They knew he was ready towards the end of last season. Crazy thing is he is still only 23 years old... what's this dude gonna look like in two more years?

MAD GAINZ wrote:

There was talk all summer about how Turner looked like a different player. More confident, flying around, making plays every day. This shouldn't come as a surprise. He started ascending last year as the 3rd pass rusher and now you can see why the Vikings traded Greenard. They knew he was ready towards the end of last season. Crazy thing is he is still only 23 years old... what's this dude gonna look like in two more years?

Players say a lot of shit that never happens, I didn’t know if they were being just positive or if they really saw it. But there’s zero doubt now about it… he’s a dawg

This is why an elite force like Dallas Turner can get a wide open shot to the QB as I was alluding to earlier:

"Brian Flores is one of the most valuable people in ALL of football." @Foxworth24 and @billbarnwell explain how the Vikings won a game where they scored 9 points and started Carson Wentz at QB... pic.twitter.com/Rp1GjQrmMr

— The Domonique Foxworth Show (@FoxworthShow) September 21, 2026

Outside an INT, when is the last time the Vikings closed out a game with a sack on the last play of the game on D on the road? Dramatic as hell. Look at all the players chasing down Turner when he runs down the field after that play, happy as hell for that kid.

What impresses me (aside from those bull rushes) was the intelligence he played with. Not just balls to the wall, he rushed with control. The bull rushes are part of that, not getting too far upfield. For a young stud to be more focused on the game plan than his stats is impressive.

He had a free run at Caleb but didn't just try to blast him and watch him evade the rush, he broke down and flushed him from the pocket and kept in pursuit.

Hold the phone everyone, PFF says Turner sucks 😂

Offenses are definitely going to have to account for him more going forward...

And they will with all the stuff we know about (chips, doubles etc.)

They may end up moving #15 around more on-going.

As JIT said, I think the days of leaving him 1:1 with a TE are probably gone

And yah, I cant remember the last game we closed it out with a sack of the opposing Qb.

Pressures this season, per @NextGenStats

Dallas Turner - 20
Bears - 19
Jaguars - 19
Steelers - 19
Cardinals - 17
Dolphins - 16
Giants - 12
Rams - 10

It's so fascinating to re-watch the Vikings' defensive performance on tape. Just advantages everywhere. Chicago keeps six in protect, only five men rush, and there's still an unblocked pressure. "Blitzing" oversimplifies the Vikings' strategy. It's just advantage creation.

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) September 21, 2026

Dare I say we might have Doleman 2.0?

MaroonBells wrote:

Pressures this season, per @NextGenStats
Dallas Turner - 20
Bears - 19
Jaguars - 19
Steelers - 19
Cardinals - 17
Dolphins - 16
Giants - 12
Rams - 10

I think I saw the highest number of pressures for a season (since they started tracking this) was JJ Watt with 119.

Dallas might hit that before Thanksgiving.

Here is the thing - Turner looks small out there with incredible speed quickness. You add in the fact that he can bullrush as well and on passing downs he is a significant mismatch. I still think he is a bit of a liability against the run but is getting better by the day.

Kmerry82 wrote:

Here is the thing - Turner looks small out there with incredible speed quickness. You add in the fact that he can bullrush as well and on passing downs he is a significant mismatch. I still think he is a bit of a liability against the run but is getting better by the day.

My fantasy was that he's our version of Micah Parsons.

JIT could be right and he's more in the mold of a Derrick Thomas type of player (may he rip)

Both from Bama, both 6'3 247 and quick as hell

MAD GAINZ wrote:

I think I saw the highest number of pressures for a season (since they started tracking this) was JJ Watt with 119.
Dallas might hit that before Thanksgiving.

Dallas Turner is on pace for 180 QB pressures.

The NFL record is 119 by JJ Watt

Dallas Turner officially earned an 8.86 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of 10.00 as a defensive end prospect in 2024, while Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas did not receive an official final RAS. Because Thomas entered the league in 1989—before all advanced testing data was comprehensively logged or mandatory—he failed to record scores for the minimum 6 out of 10 required athletic metrics to qualify for an official score. [1, 2, 3]

However, looking at their available testing metrics, the two explosive Alabama pass rushers profile with striking similarities:

Athletic Testing Comparison

Key Takeaways

• The First Step: Both edge rushers possess near-identical elite burst off the line. Thomas clocked a blistering 1.55-second 10-yard split, which Turner barely edged out at 1.54 seconds.

• Straight-Line Speed: Turner holds the clear advantage in long-distance speed, running a 4.46-second 40-yard dash compared to Thomas's 4.58 seconds.

• Size: Thomas played with slightly more natural size and bulk, carrying roughly 8 extra pounds on a similar 6-foot-3 frame during his pre-draft process. [1, 2, 3, 4]

I’m going to guess Turner is probably in the mid 250s now, without any loss of initial burst or overall speed.