Kobie Turner has quickly become one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL despite only being in his second season as a pro. Since he came into the league as a third-round pick last year, Turner has 16 sacks, 17 tackles for a loss and 27 quarterback hits.
What’s most impressive about his dominance on the interior is the fact that he’s now doing it without a future Hall of Famer next to him. There were some who made the argument last year that Turner was benefiting from Aaron Donald drawing double teams, which gave Turner one-on-one opportunities.
Now, it’s Turner who’s getting extra attention from linemen.
According to Next Gen Stats, no player in the NFL has more pressures against double teams than Turner (42) since last season.
Since the start of last season, no player has recorded more pressures against double teams than Rams DT Kobie Turner (42).
Tonight, Turner has 4 pressures and 2 sacks on 20 pass rushes, with all four pressures and both sacks coming against double teams.#LAvsSF | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/sVmGUXliYN
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 13, 2024
A reporter told Sean McVay about that stat during his media session on Friday and he was so blown away that he asked to hear it again.
“All right, how about that? I love it. That’s cool,” he said.
McVay expanded on the topic by talking about what makes Turner great.
“He has done a great job,” he continued. “I think what he has done is so consistent and he is a finisher. I think you look at both of his sacks that he had yesterday, one of the things that I thought stood out about him, especially as a rookie, was when he got in close proximity he was a finisher. He was able to close space, take great exit angles, and be able to wrap and finish plays. Both of his sacks were reflective of that. He’s just gotten better and better. I think he’s really doing a great job of pouring into his teammates. I thought that was our most complete defensive game as a whole in terms of rush and coverage working together. Kobie has been an instrumental leader for our group. He’s been so steady and so consistent. That’s a pretty cool little stat right there. He’s awesome and he’s only going to get better just by being himself.”
Turner probably should’ve won Defensive Rookie of the Year over Will Anderson Jr. last season but voters favored the Texans edge rusher over the Rams’ emerging star.
Since being snubbed, Turner has only gotten better. He ranks fifth among all interior defenders with 49 pressures this season and his seven sacks are fourth at the position.
Somehow, he’s still not getting the attention he deserves because Turner isn’t even among the top 10 DT vote-getters for the Pro Bowl this year. That needs to change because he’s playing every bit like a Pro Bowler.
