The Los Angeles Rams defense is full of emerging talent. From reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse to fellow edge rushers Braden Fiske and Byron Young, this unit is ascending at the right time.
But The Ringer’s Diante Lee said one Rams defender could see a bigger rise in 2025 and turn into a Pro Bowl player: defensive tackle Kobie Turner. Lee said on The Athletic Football Show that Turner is “the biggest success story of this next era of guys” because of where he came from and who he replaced in Aaron Donald. Lee added that Turner and reminds him of Baltimore Ravens‘ star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike.
“I think that Kobie Turner might be the biggest success story of this next era of guys,” Lee said, “because of the expectations were relatively low for a guy that’s drafted where he was drafted and coming into a position where you’re now filling the shoes of 99 [Donald].
“It’s not that he reminds me of Aaron Donald, but the guy that he does remind me of is Nnamdi Madubuike, at times, where it’s like — good at everything. He’s solid across the board.”
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Madubuike is a good comp for Turner because of a similar career trajectory. Madubuike was a third-round pick in 2020 but didn’t see huge development until his fourth season when he tallied 15.5 sacks and made his first Pro Bowl. Turner, also a third-round pick, is producing more at a faster pace than Madubuike — with nine sacks as a rookie in 2023 and eight sacks in his second year this past season.
Turner was never going to replace Donald in the middle of the defense. The Rams knew that, too, and drafted other complementary pieces to support Turner on the interior. But considering how good Turner has looked in just two seasons, it’s not a stretch to think he could develop into a Pro Bowl player in his third NFL season.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams defender named ‘biggest success story’ of next generation