Quick Facts
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Trai Denzell Turner (born June 14, 1993) is an American football guard for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State University.
High school
Turner attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He played offensive tackle in high school but was projected to play offensive guard in college. He helped St. Augustine average over 300 yards rushing a game and was selected for the 2011 PrepStar All-American team. He was also a member of The Times-Picayune's Blue Chip list and was selected to play in the 2010 Darren Sharper Lake Pontchartrain All-Star Football Classic.
He was rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and the 14th best offensive guard in the country.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trai Turner OG | New Orleans, LA | St. Augustine | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 345 lb (156 kg) | 5.10 | Feb 2, 2011 |
Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 76 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 16 (OG) Rivals: 14 (OG), 13 (LA) ESPN: 49 (DE) | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
Turner attended Louisiana State University (LSU) from 2011 to 2013. After redshirting as a freshman in 2011, he played in 12 games and made seven starts as a redshirt freshman. He made his first start at right guard in a win over number 3 ranked South Carolina. In 559 snaps, Turner finished 2nd on the team with 51 pancake blocks. LSU had a 100-yard rusher from four of the seven games in which Turner started. In his redshirt sophomore year, Turner started and played in all 13 games. In 857 snaps, he recorded 64 pancake blocks and in his final collegiate game at the 2014 Outback Bowl, Turner registered a season-high 10 pancake blocks and helped pave the way for 220 rushing yards against Iowa in a win. For his career, Turner played a total of 1,416 snaps with 115 pancake blocks.
He opted to forgo final two years of eligibility at LSU and entered into the 2014 NFL Draft after his sophomore season.
Professional career
2014 NFL Draft
Turner surprised many with his decision to enter the 2014 NFL Draft as he only had 20 career college starts. While he was highly regarded within NFL draft circles, many believed that by spending another year in school, Turner could have solidified himself as a first round draft pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. His power as a run blocker, mean streak, and length drew comparisons to Marshal Yanda. At the 2014 NFL combine, Turner surprised many analysts with his speed and athleticism, recording the fastest 40 yard dash among offensive guards. Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones noted after the 2014 NFL Draft that had the Cowboys not traded the number 78 overall selection in a deal to move up to select Boise State defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, they would have used that pick to draft Turner, whom they regarded as an immediate starter.
Turner was drafted in the 3rd round (92nd overall) by the Carolina Panthers in the 2014 NFL Draft.
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in | 0 lb | 34 in | 9 1⁄2 in | 4.91 s | 1.73 s | 2.81 s | 4.77 s | 8.16 s | 27 1⁄2 in | 8 ft 6 in | 25 reps | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine or LSU Pro Day | |||||||||||||||||||
Carolina Panthers
2014: rookie season
On June 4, 2014, Turner signed a four-year contract. As a rookie, during the preseason, Turner won the starting right guard position on the Panther offensive line over veteran Chris Scott. Turner made his NFL debut on September 7, 2014 in Carolina's 20-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Turner made his first NFL start during the Panthers week 5 victory over the Chicago Bears. His emergence into the starting lineup helped the Panthers rank seventh in the NFL in rushing, including a league-leading 975 yards over the last five games. On December 23, 2014, Turner was named to Sports Illustrated All-Rookie Team. Through 618 snaps in the season, Turner did not allow a single sack and Turner surrendered just 11 QB disruptions.
2015 NFL season
Turner picked up where he left off from his strong rookie season. Through the first three games, he did not allow a sack and surrendered just 3 QB disruptions. Turner had not allowed a sack for the past 627 snaps, the 3rd longest streak in the NFL at Left Guard. Through 6 games, Turner allowed just 8 hurries as a pass protector and as a run blocker, he rated as PFF's 4th best run blocker in the NFL. Further, through 9 weeks, Turner ranked as PFF's 4th best guard in the NFL. Turner was selected for his first career Pro Bowl during the season. Turner could not play in the Pro Bowl due to the Panthers appearance in Super Bowl 50. For the season, Turner allowed just one sack all season despite a passing attack that held the ball longer than most and targeted downfield often. Further, Turner was charged with only 2.5 blown blocks in 1,074 snaps played. The only full-time guard with a better rate of blown blocks per snap was Dallas' Zack Martin. According to PFF, Turner also had the seventh-highest pass-blocking efficiency among guards. On September 6, 2016, Turner became the first solo offensive lineman since Nate Newton to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.