EAGAN, Minn. — Dallas Turner will turn 22 years old on Feb. 2, the same day veteran Vikings outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel are scheduled to participate in the Pro Bowl Games.
Greenard, a 27-year-old who just completed his fifth NFL season, and Van Ginkel, a 29-year-old who wrapped his sixth NFL season, garnered the first Pro Bowl selections of their career because of their highly productive campaigns in Purple.
Questions about Turner's impact as the 17th overall pick of 2024 have often left out the facts of Greenard and Van Ginkel being such forces and able to start every game. The annual escalation of hype enveloping the NFL Draft, combined with a high desire for immediate gratification, prompted people to compare Turner's first season with that of other first-round picks, but different circumstances existed across the league.
Turner absorbed valuable lessons as he transitioned to pro football after just three seasons at Alabama, which he capped by winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
"I feel like I've learned about the NFL by being around the veteran players and the coaches, too, all the football knowledge we have in the building," Turner said as the Vikings cleaned out their lockers on Jan. 14. "I feel like there are a lot of people saying they didn't get their opportunities until Year 5 or Year 6, so I was grateful to have the opportunity to be around these players as a rookie and kind of embrace that knowledge that they poured into me. I'm an open book, just being open to being coachable and comfortable around veterans and peers and just being a sponge overall."
Turner appeared in 16 games and became just the second Viking since 1982 to record a sack in his first NFL game, joining Brian Robison, when Minnesota opened at the New York Giants.
He totaled 300 defensive snaps, increasing his experience of dropping into coverage while also developing his pass rush techniques, and added 226 more snaps on special teams.
Turner recorded his second and third sacks with takedowns in December home games against the Bears and Packers. In between, he nabbed his first career interception at Seattle. According to pro-football-reference.com, Turner was in coverage when an opponent was targeted eight times. Four were completed for a total of 37 yards, resulting in a passer rating allowed of 23.4.
Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores, who was named Thursday as one of five finalists for The Associated Press' Assistant Coach of the Year, said dropping into pass coverage was "something we've worked on throughout the course of the season."
"I think [assistant coaches Mike] Pettine and Imarjaye [Albury, Sr.] have done a great job with Dallas, as far as meetings, walk-throughs, practice, extra walk-throughs, extra practice, helping him get a routine. They've done a great job," Flores said after the interception. "I know the landmarks and the drops, I would say, over the past few weeks there's been extra drills, extra work on that, and lo and behold, it shows up.
"So it's good for us as a coaching staff to kind of see that. … He was right where he was supposed to be. And he was able to make a play," Flores added. "Now I wish he would stay on his feet [after the interception], because there was some space there, but we'll take it one step at a time. It's good to see that kind of a practice rep showing up in a game, and kind of gives him a little bit of — reinforces a lot of things, I would say."
A major key to Flores' success in his first two Vikings seasons has been maximizing players' strengths and capitalizing on their versatility. He tasks outside linebackers with posing the threat of a pass rush before the snap but then dropping into coverage. He also likes to send them forward to opposing QBs, if you haven't noticed.
"If you can rush, you're going to rush, I would say, a significant amount of the time, and when we drop you, it'll be just to throw off their offense just enough that, 'Is he dropping, or is he rushing?' and then it may help you rushing," Flores said.
Turner said he is looking forward to a full offseason. Instead of following a college season that extended to January 2024 by immediately turning his focus toward the NFL Scouting Combine and other pre-draft preparations, he plans to base his offseason workouts in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and help young people at youth football camps.
Beyond that, Turner is excited to build on a foundational first year.
"I feel like that would elevate things for the rest of my career — just this one season alone, being around different individuals and being able to have relationships with these people and just understanding I was in college, and now I'm in the locker room with people that's 32 with kids and a wife and stuff, so it's definitely not things that are common, but you get to take a lot of knowledge from older people," Turner said. "You are the people that you're around, and I feel like that happened. There were a lot of great veteran players here. I feel like the trajectory of my career will be where I eventually want to go."
