Vikings’ Other 1st Round Pick is Off to a Slow Start Too

Dallas Turner, Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings picked two players in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. They had to move up to make both picks. Nonetheless, J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner stepped onto the Vegas stage in April and held up a purple Vikings jersey, next to commissioner, Roger Goodell.

The focal point of the Minnesota Vikings draft in April was to acquire a quarterback. They needed a succession plan after the departure of Kirk Cousins. Sam Darnold was always expected to start, but J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending injury cemented that.

Dallas Turner is a slow burn for the Minnesota Vikings

But since the start of the regular season, both McCarthy and Turner have struggled through quiet starts to their NFL careers. Of course, we know what happened to Minnesota’s No. 10 overall pick. But quietly, their No. 17 pick has been disappointing, thus far, too.

“Before the season, defensive coordinator Brian Flores was clear: He would ride the hot hand with the pass rush. Edge rusher Patrick Jones II had arrived at training camp in exceptional condition, and Jihad Ward had already situated himself as one of the defense’s vocal leaders. Minnesota would not hand a full-time job to Turner simply because he was a first-round pick… The point is that Turner has not played enough for any grand evaluation, and he hasn’t played because the folks in front of him have been so effective that the Vikings have had no reason to replace them.”

Alec Lewis on Dallas Turners development (The Athletic)

Turner has one NFL sack. Beyond that, he’s struggled to stand out in any meaningful way. In fact, his numbers tell a somewhat disaster story through five weeks. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis doesn’t fully blame Turner, for his slow start, but it’s definitely on his radar.

Only Jonah Eliss has more sacks to this point (1.5) than Turner amongst rookie edge rushers. The pressure rates generated by Jared Verse (21.5%) and Chop Robinson (13.3%) make Turners 7.0% look paltry however. As Lewis points out however, it’s been a small sample on a disjointed one at that, for Turner.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Expected to do Something Before NFL Trade Deadline

Vikings get benefit by allowing Dallas Turner to come along slowly

It would be a great thing if Dallas Turner immediately looked like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. For that to happen though, the Vikings free agents and veterans all needed to flop. Andrew Van Ginkel has been amazing, and Jonathan Greenard has done his job as well. There’s no reason to force Turner to do the heavy lifting at this point.

Similarly to McCarthy, Turner being able to develop at his own pace is beneficial. He is watching high-quality play in front of him, and looking to replicate it when he gets his chance. Brian Flores has the Minnesota defense playing at an incredibly high level, and Turner can factor in when the time is right.

Related: 4 Minnesota Vikings Stats That Help Make Sense of Undefeated Start

As the season goes on, there could be attrition in front of Turner. The more he prepares now, the better he will contribute when his number is called upon. Nothing about the pick looks bad at this point, even if the numbers aren’t gaudy.

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