Dallas Turner Selected With No. 17 Pick in the 2024 NFL Draft

Alabama EDGE rusher was the third defender selected on Thursday night.

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Dallas Turner stands on the red / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Draft opened on Thursday night in typical fashion with quarterbacks flying off the board to organizations looking to change their football futures. 14 consecutive offensive players were chosen to kick off the night but once a defender was finally taken it wasn't long before one of Alabama's three standout defenders was picked.

Former Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings traded from pick No. 23 with the Jacksonville Jaguars in order to select the Crimson Tide defender.

The Vikings lost talented pass rusher Danielle Hunter in the offseason, making edge defender a position of need. Turner becomes the only Alabama player on the Minnesota roster with the selection.

The New England Patriots selected Christian Gonzalez with the No. 17 pick in the 2023 draft and signed him to a four-year contract worth $15.1m. Turner will likely make similar money with his new contract with the Vikings due to the rookie wage scale with Minnesota holding the traditional fifth-year option for a first round pick.

Turner is the second Alabama player selected on the evening, following JC Latham's selection to the Tennessee Titans.

The Vikings were 7-10 in 2023 and finished third in the NFC North. The trade for Turner was the second of the night for Minnesota as they also traded with the New York Jets in order to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick.

Player Info

Jersey: No. 15
Position: EDGE
DOB: February 2, 2003
Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
High School: St. Thomas Aquinas, Bradenton Fla.
Recruiting Class: 2021
Recruiting Rating: Consensus 5-star, No. 9 overall, No. 1 at position, No. 2 in the state
Did he play in an All-Star Game? All-American Bowl

Accomplishments

Turner appeared in 42 games, making 27 starts for the Alabama defense over the last three seasons. He accumulated 120 tackles with 33.5 coming for a loss. He also tallied 23.5 sacks, forced two fumbles, recovered two more and scored one defensive touchdown during his tenure in Tuscaloosa. For his standout performances he was named SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 while earning consensus All-American status and First Team All-SEC. His strong freshman season earned him Freshman All-America honors from 247Sports and the FWAA, while he was also selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team.

NFL Combine/Pro Day

Height: 6-3
Weight: 247 pounds
Hand: 9 7/8'
Arm: 34 3/8'
Wing:
40-yard dash: 4.46
10-yard split: 1.54
Vertical jump: 40.5"
Broad jump: 10'7"

What They're Saying

"Long and athletic with the explosive traits needed to become an impactful NFL pass rusher. Turner’s first-step quickness and elite closing burst are important building blocks, but he still needs to work on his process from Point A to Point B. He hasn’t learned to create the space and angles needed to consistently attack the edges, but that should come with better hand development and a more diversified approach. A team would be wise to widen him out and allow him a better runway to ignite his burst and overwhelm tackles with his speed. He’s added 20 pounds since coming to Alabama, but he struggles at times to stack and shed run blockers or set a firm edge. Turner’s frame and game are much less developed than Will Anderson Jr.’s coming out of Alabama last year, so it could take time for him to make his mark as a starting 3-4 outside linebacker."
-NFL Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein

Mock Draft

• Charles Davis, NFL.com: Picked No. 9 overall by the Chicago Bears
• Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: Picked No. 19 overall by the Los Angeles Rams
• Eric Edholm, NFL.com: Picked No. 15 overall by the Chicago Bears after trading down
• Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com: Ranked at the No. 13 overall player in the draft class
• Field Yates, ESPN: Picked No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Falcons