Saints draft Houston DE Payton Turner with first-round pick

SmashMouth · 04-29-2021, 11:19 PM

PAYTON TURNER HOUSTON DE
CLASS Senior

6' 5"
270 lbs
ARMS 35"
HANDS 10 1/4"

Prospect Grade
6.31: WILL BE STARTER WITHIN FIRST TWO SEASONS

The Houston product played in 11 games as a reserve in 2017 (14 tackles, two for loss, with one sack, one interception) despite missing most of his senior year at Westside High School due to a knee injury. Turner did start the first 11 games of the 2018 season before suffering a foot injury, collecting more stops (42) but fewer behind the line of scrimmage42 stops (4.5 for loss) while breaking up four passes and blocking a punt. He didn't make an all-conference team in 2019 but his size and production (34 tackles, eight for loss, with four sacks, four pass breakups in 12 starts) caught the eyes of NFL scouts. American Athletic Conference coaches rectified the situation in 2020, voting him second-team all-conference after he led the Cougars with 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in five games (four starts, 25 total stops). He missed two games, however, with hand and knee injuries and tested positive for COVID-19 in November. Turner accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. -- by Chad Reuter

Analysis
By Lance Zierlein NFL Analyst
Draft Projection Round 2
NFL Comparison Preston Smith

Overview

Three-year starter who has shown a continued level of positional growth that requires the attention of NFL evaluators. Turner is a big, long 4-3 defense end with natural play strength and a surprising level of bend and agility for his size. His technique and footwork are a little spotty, though. He plays with a narrow base and tall pad level, which will always be something he has to work around. He's growing into his frame and his talent. The tape shows a player who is beginning to understand his own strength and athletic potential. His pass rush plan is limited, but he has a go-to move that opens the door to quarterbacks. Once he gets an advantage, he is an absolute menace to recover against for blockers. His size and play traits will have both odd- and even-front defenses interested in him as a talented three-down starter who is still on the way up.

Strengths
Overwhelming size and length for a 4-3 end.
Plenty of upside left for continued development.
Impressive reaction time and athleticism.
Twitchy get-off for his size.
Generates explosion into contact.
Good strain to dislodge from blocks and ruin sustains.
Ridiculous agility expands tackle radius and restricts the run.
Attacks rush arc with forward lean and quality bend around the corner.
Stab-and-swipe is his go-to rush move.
Loose hips help him find half-man angles.
Sudden inside jump-cut to hit the B-gap running.
Power and grit to push pocket with his bull rush.
Challenging to escape from his burst/length once he's in the pocket.

Weaknesses
Needs to shoot hands a little bit earlier.
Plays upright and with a narrow base.
Balance through contact will be an issue due to high center of gravity.
Can be upended by strong angle blocks.
Rush plan is underdeveloped and can stall out early at times.
Needs better instincts as a counter rusher.
Delayed in finding workable rush counters.
Power can stall his rush.
Has knee and foot injuries in his background.

Sources Tell Us

"I wanted to keep him a secret after I saw him last year and that didn't happen. He's going to become a force." -- Scouting director for AFC team

04-29-2021, 11:19 PM	#11
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,803 Blog Entries: 29	Re: Saints draft Houston DE Payton Turner with first-round pick PAYTON TURNER HOUSTON DE CLASS Senior 6' 5" 270 lbs ARMS 35" HANDS 10 1/4" Prospect Grade 6.31: WILL BE STARTER WITHIN FIRST TWO SEASONS The Houston product played in 11 games as a reserve in 2017 (14 tackles, two for loss, with one sack, one interception) despite missing most of his senior year at Westside High School due to a knee injury. Turner did start the first 11 games of the 2018 season before suffering a foot injury, collecting more stops (42) but fewer behind the line of scrimmage42 stops (4.5 for loss) while breaking up four passes and blocking a punt. He didn't make an all-conference team in 2019 but his size and production (34 tackles, eight for loss, with four sacks, four pass breakups in 12 starts) caught the eyes of NFL scouts. American Athletic Conference coaches rectified the situation in 2020, voting him second-team all-conference after he led the Cougars with 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in five games (four starts, 25 total stops). He missed two games, however, with hand and knee injuries and tested positive for COVID-19 in November. Turner accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. -- by Chad Reuter Analysis By Lance Zierlein NFL Analyst Draft Projection Round 2 NFL Comparison Preston Smith Overview Three-year starter who has shown a continued level of positional growth that requires the attention of NFL evaluators. Turner is a big, long 4-3 defense end with natural play strength and a surprising level of bend and agility for his size. His technique and footwork are a little spotty, though. He plays with a narrow base and tall pad level, which will always be something he has to work around. He's growing into his frame and his talent. The tape shows a player who is beginning to understand his own strength and athletic potential. His pass rush plan is limited, but he has a go-to move that opens the door to quarterbacks. Once he gets an advantage, he is an absolute menace to recover against for blockers. His size and play traits will have both odd- and even-front defenses interested in him as a talented three-down starter who is still on the way up. Strengths Overwhelming size and length for a 4-3 end. Plenty of upside left for continued development. Impressive reaction time and athleticism. Twitchy get-off for his size. Generates explosion into contact. Good strain to dislodge from blocks and ruin sustains. Ridiculous agility expands tackle radius and restricts the run. Attacks rush arc with forward lean and quality bend around the corner. Stab-and-swipe is his go-to rush move. Loose hips help him find half-man angles. Sudden inside jump-cut to hit the B-gap running. Power and grit to push pocket with his bull rush. Challenging to escape from his burst/length once he's in the pocket. Weaknesses Needs to shoot hands a little bit earlier. Plays upright and with a narrow base. Balance through contact will be an issue due to high center of gravity. Can be upended by strong angle blocks. Rush plan is underdeveloped and can stall out early at times. Needs better instincts as a counter rusher. Delayed in finding workable rush counters. Power can stall his rush. Has knee and foot injuries in his background. Sources Tell Us "I wanted to keep him a secret after I saw him last year and that didn't happen. He's going to become a force." -- Scouting director for AFC team iceshack149 likes this.