The Minnesota Vikings have a strong viral presence. However, before there was the “Nine” meme, there was the video of the team’s war room when they selected Dallas Turner in the 2024 draft.

HC Kevin O’Connell’s reaction to the #Vikings trading up to draft EDGE Dallas Turner was ALL of our reactions last night 😂🔥 #skol pic.twitter.com/D61VIafoWh

— Vikings Nation (@vikingsnationmn) April 26, 2024

Kevin O’Connell’s reaction to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah informing him that they had traded up for Turner was similar to telling your six-year-old that you were stopping for McDonald’s on the way home. It all combined to create massive expectations for the Alabama product. But, two years into his career, Turner has left Vikings fans disappointed like a missing toy in a Happy Meal.

Dallas Turner has stepped up in his second season, but it’s been more of a step in the right direction than a giant leap. While many feel like he’s on the path to be a good but not great player, he may finally be showing what he could become — the next Jonathan Greenard.

Greenard and Turner are strangely attached at the hip in Minnesota’s pass-rushing room. After saying goodbye to Danielle Hunter, the Vikings quickly signed Greenard to a four-year, $76 million contract, making him one of the key cogs in Brian Flores’ defense. But things changed when the Vikings traded up for Turner a few months later.

Perhaps one of the things that made Turner so surprising was a list of variables nobody saw coming. When the Vikings traded up for a second first-round pick in the 2024 draft, many assumed that it would be used to get a quarterback like Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. Others thought Turner would have been long gone by the time the Vikings were on the clock as a top-10 draft prospect, but when offensive players dominated the first half of the draft, the front office pounced on the opportunity.

In some ways, the Vikings were looking to build a stable of effective pass rushers as opposed to the “hero ball” role Hunter was playing for the group before his departure. But while Greenard entered the fray immediately, it took a while for Turner to get going with 12 pressures, including three sacks on 151 pass-rushing snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Fortunately, Turner was given a pass for his slow rookie year because Greenard and fellow free-agent pickup Andrew Van Ginkel were that good in their first years in Minnesota. But Turner walked into a massive opportunity in Year 2 and led all Vikings edge rushers in defensive snaps this season.

Turner’s 65.3 overall PFF grade isn’t a massive jump over the 64.1 mark he posted in his rookie year. And some would dismiss his six sacks as that of the “clean up” variety that D.J. Wonnum used to collect during his time with the Vikings.

Still, there are some things that Minnesota can highlight as progress.

The 22-year-old nearly doubled his pressure rate, going from 7.9% in his rookie season to 14.4% this season. He also has doubled his pass-rushing win rate from 6.3% to 12.1% this season, including a 14.6% clip on true passing sets. But the biggest development may be that he’s succeeding in the role that Greenard has played in each of his first two seasons.

Dallas Turner has played everywhere because Van Ginkel missed time early in the year due to a neck injury and a concussion, and Greenard suffered a shoulder injury. While Van Ginkel serves as a jack-of-all-trades thanks to his coverage ability, Greenard is more of a pure pass rusher who has played most of his snaps on the right side of the formation.

Per PFF, Greenard has performed well on the right side, with a 15.3% pressure rate, and has solid overall win rates in true passing sets (15.5%) and pass-rushing snaps (16.6%). But Turner has also performed much better on the right side than the left, logging a 17.5% win rate and 23 pressures on 131 snaps on the right side compared to 17 pressures and a 12.7% win rate on the left side.

There is a world where both players can co-exist, especially on a rookie deal. But if Turner becomes the diet version of Greenard, then the Vikings have some interesting decisions to make.

The Vikings have Greenard under contract for two more seasons. However, he has no guaranteed money remaining, according to Over The Cap, which is usually when the two sides go back to the negotiating table. With the Vikings suddenly $36.4 million over the salary cap heading into next season, it’s one of the contracts they will likely have to restructure with Greenard expected to return in 2026. Still, it also sets up a path for Turner to take over in 2027 or when Greenard’s deal expires in 2028.

Perhaps the Vikings are accommodating Dallas Turner because they gave up so much to acquire him in that draft-day trade. But even if he becomes a serviceable player, it’s a win as he comes closer to his second contract. The Vikings don’t need to worry about that for a few more years, but his parallels to Greenard are interesting and may be the biggest takeaway from his sophomore season.