The Los Angeles Rams found a couple of absolute steals in the 2023 NFL Draft. While wide receiver Puka Nacua garnered a ton of attention, defensive tackle Kobie Turner, a third-round pick, had an absolutely outstanding rookie year that led to him being a finalist for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Turner wound up finishing third in the voting behind Houston Texans pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter despite leading all rookies in sacks with nine and having more total tackles than both of the other finalists. But Turner simply used it as motivation to get better this offseason.
In an interview with Stu Jackson of Rams.com, Turner revealed that while he was frustrated at the outcome, he immediately reached out to his former Rams teammate Aaron Donald to put him in contact with his trainer Al ‘Poodie’ Carson so he could get right to work:
“I was a little frustrated,” Turner said of not winning the award, “but I was like, ‘go ahead and put me in contact with your guy,’ and he set me up, and I was in there the next week or the week after. And so one, that was a good little fire up under me to get me back started for the offseason, but it was really awesome to be able to work out with him, to be able to work out with somebody that he trusts.”
This is the type of attitude and mindset that the Rams love to see. With Donald announcing his retirement, there will be a lot of pressure on Turner to step up and help fill that void and he is putting in the work this offseason to do just that.
Turner noted that his goal next year is to be dominant across the entire defensive line, not just nose tackle:
“So the emphasis this year is definitely want some more positional versatility,” Turner said.
“I’ve played around the line a little bit last year, but continuing to expand my knowledge so that we can take advantage of whatever matchups are going to present themselves on gameday,” Turner said. “And so that’s one of my emphases also going into this offseason, is just be as comfortable as comfortable as I got the second stretch of the season at nose, find that comfortability level with the three, with the four, if ever have to play the five on any of our fronts, all across the board. So I’m definitely excited for that opportunity going forward, and we’ll see how that continues to build out.”
Having someone capable of lining up across the line opens up so many possibilities for the Rams and allows them to give many different looks with different players up front. It’s impossible to replace an all-time great like Donald, but Turner’s growth will help ease that transition.
Most importantly is that the Rams seem to have found a cornerstone for their defense moving forward and it is clear that Turner will do everything possible to be the best player he possibly can.
Tre’Davious White explains his decision to join Rams in free agency
Something else other than Kobie Turner’s growth that will help the Rams defense is an improved secondary and the addition of veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White could certainly fit the bill. Though White is recovering from a torn achilles, he is expected to be back by the start of the season.
White recently discussed his decision to join the Rams in free agency as he did have interest around the league. The corner noted that he enjoyed meeting the Rams staff and that everything felt very authentic which he liked. White also noted that the training staff has people who have had prior success in helping players come back from an Achilles injury.
