Knowing Aaron Donald may be nearing the end of his career, the Los Angeles Rams prepared in advance by drafting Kobie Turner in 2023. That gave him one year to learn from the future Hall of Famer, eventually taking the reins as the team’s top defensive tackle last season.

Turner has been a home run and game-changer on the interior for the Rams, similar to the way Donald was early in his career. And Turner is entering just his third season, which means he probably hasn’t even scratched the surface of his true potential.

While no one can replace Donald, Turner is a big reason the defensive line was so good in 2024.

How he got here

Turner was a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, going No. 89 overall out of Wake Forest. He transferred from Richmond to Wake Forest in college, which helped propel him up as a top-100 pick in the draft two years ago.

2024 stats

17 games (16 starts): 62 tackles, 8 sacks, 10 TFL, 13 QB hits, 4 batted passes, 1 forced fumble, 62 total pressures

Projected role

After playing some nose tackle and 3-technique as a rookie in 2023, Turner became more of a traditional 3-tech last season, playing 626 of his 919 snaps in the B-gap, according to Pro Football Focus.

That trend should continue this year, particularly with Poona Ford coming aboard as the nose tackle in the middle. Turner is at his best rushing against opposing guards, using his impressive quickness and agility to work around blocks and pressure the quarterback.

Why he’s important

Jared Verse led the NFL with 89 total pressures in the regular season and playoffs combined, but Turner wasn’t that far behind considering he’s an interior defender. His 62 pressures were the fourth-most among all defensive tackles in the league last season, trailing only Chris Jones, Zach Allen and Jalen Carter.

A player with that level of production and talent is hard to replace, which is what makes Turner such an important player for the Rams – and one they’d be wise to extend sooner rather than later. He completely changes the look of the defensive line as a pass rusher, but he’s also a great run defender who had 47 stops last season, tied for the most of any defensive tackle.

It’s not hard to make the case for Turner’s importance to this team.

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