Five things to know about new Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner

The first defender wasn’t selected in this year’s NFL Draft until the 15th pick.

Two picks later, the Vikings traded up to No. 17 overall to take Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner with their second first-round selection. Here are five things to know about the newest edge rusher.

1. Turner is an athletic freak who watched a lot of Danielle Hunter. He led all edge rushers at the NFL Scouting Combine running a 4.46-second 40-yard dash. He also posted the best vertical jump at his position. His physical gifts were on display at Alabama, where he helped fill the absence of Will Anderson Jr. (the ex-Alabama edge rusher drafted No. 3 overall by the Houston Texans in 2023). Turner led the team with 14.5 tackles for losses last season. He also had 10 sacks.

At the combine, Turner was asked which NFL players he molds his game after, and the first player he mentioned was former Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter. Turner said he respected Hunter’s relentless drive and proficient pass-rushing maneuvers.

“He’s just scratching the surface,” General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said of Turner.

2. He already lived up to the hype as a five-star recruit. Turner was impactful for three seasons at Alabama, but he was named 2023 SEC Defensive Player of the Year after his best season last fall. He was also first-team All-SEC and first-team All-American. His path began in Florida, where he won a state title as a freshman at American Heritage. As a junior, he was named Broward County Defensive Player of the Year. He transferred to in-state powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where he starred under defensive coordinator Jason Taylor — the former All-Pro pass rusher for the Dolphins — and was a coveted, five-star recruit.

“Quite honestly, where there’s not six quarterbacks taken in the top [12] picks,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said Thursday night, “a guy like Dallas Turner would not be around for us to possibly trade up for.”

3. He’s a big hitter. One of Turner’s most recent hits, when he leveled former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels in a November win, was a topic of controversy. Tigers fans were upset because Turner’s hit injured Daniels, who was drafted No. 2 overall by the Washington Commanders on Thursday night, and forced him to leave the fourth quarter of a LSU loss. Turner was flagged for roughing the passer.

“That’s how I play,” Turner said at the combine. “I’m not trying to be dirty with my hits. I just play between the whistles and play at 100 percent.”

4. Like his father, Turner was a basketball standout. Turner honed his skills on the hardcourt. He played on the same AAU team as fellow Florida native Scottie Barnes, who was the fourth-overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in 2021.

“Just being on a very high-talent basketball team, I got an opportunity to go to Colorado State for the USA [Basketball] minicamp,” Turner said at the combine. “Being around a lot of talented guys and stuff like that set my head on how talented you have to be to do what you want to do.” Turner’s father, Delon, was a professional basketball player internationally after starring at Florida A&M.

5. The Vikings met with Turner multiple times in pre-draft process. Turner came to TCO Performance Center for an official pre-draft visit (teams get 30 each), in addition to the meeting Vikings evaluators had with Turner in Indianapolis at the combine. “He told me before he left [Eagan] he felt comfortable here. He felt he could really continue to ascend as a player here,” O’Connell said on Thursday night. “He’s got some lofty goals for himself. I know he’s excited to be in Brian Flores’ defense.”