Yeah, seems like a solid pick
Last night in Detroit, the Minnesota Vikings shocked a lot of people when they made a move up the draft board from #23 to #17 to select Alabama edge defender Dallas Turner with their second selection of the night. While it might have been surprising to see Turner land in Minnesota, his talent is already being recognized by some of the Really Smart Football People™.
The folks from the DraftKings Sportsbook have put together some early odds for the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards for 2024, and Turner is listed as the co-favorite to win the award at +650. Those are the same odds as fellow edge Laiatu Latu, who was selected two picks ahead of Turner at #15 by the Indianapolis Colts.
It’s still a bit of a surprise that Turner fell as far down the board as he did, but his fall was aided by the fact that the NFL set a record for most consecutive selections to start a draft without a defensive player being selected. Latu was the first defensive player off the board when the Colts took him, so the 14 consecutive overall offensive players to start a draft doubled the previous record of seven that had been set in 2021.
Turner, a consensus All-American and the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, should have an opportunity to make a huge impact early on for Brian Flores’ defense, and his odds for winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award reflect that. Surprisingly, if Turner were to pull that off, he would be the first member of the Vikings to ever receive the honor. The purple have had five Offensive Rookie of the Year recipients (Chuck Foreman, Sammy White, Randy Moss, Adrian Peterson, and Percy Harvin), but have never had a player win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
As far as Offensive Rookie of the Year, J.J. McCarthy is currently listed at +800 to win the award, placing him fourth behind Caleb Williams (+200), Marvin Harrison Jr. (+600), and Jayden Daniels (+650).
It’s worth noting that the past two seasons have seen both the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year come from the same team. The New York Jets did it in 2022 with wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner, while the Houston Texans accomplished the feat last year with quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge defender (and Turner’s Alabama teammate) Will Anderson.
Do you think the Vikings can make it three years in a row with the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year coming from the same team, folks?
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