Windy City Gridiron
The Bears need a pass rush, and Dallas Turner is a perfect fit.
The Chicago Bears are heading into the 2024 NFL Draft with one very obvious hole still on the roster: pass rusher. The Montez Sweat trade last year was fantastic, and he paid immediate dividends, but he’s just one player. The Bears need some flash from the opposite side, and that’s the direction I went with Chicago’s second first-round pick in the 2024 SB Nation Mock Draft.
But before doing so, I traded the ninth overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for their first-rounder (13th overall) and third-rounder in 2024 (77th overall). I came away +5 in the classic Jimmy Johnson trade chart, while +9 in the Rich Hill draft trade chart.
But considering I came away with Alabama’s Dallas Turner at 13, a player I likely would have picked at nine had I found no trade-back partner, I’ll call that a big win.
In 2023, Turner was a First-Team Associated Press All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year while amassing 10 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.
The Bears value high-character prospects, and Turner was a team captain and a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which honors college football’s best in character and performance and is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity.
On April 25, Turner will probably be the first defensive player off the board, and according to our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook, he’s currently favored to be the eighth prospect drafted. That eighth spot is currently held by the Falcons, and he’s +150 to go there. He’s +400 to go at nine overall, which is where the Bears are originally slated, so getting him at 13 is a steal.
Some scouts feel his best fit is as a 3-4 outside linebacker, but his pass-rush ability translates into any scheme. At 6’3, 247 pounds, with 34 3/8’’ arm length, he’s plenty big enough to play in the Bears 40 front, but it’s the athletic measurables that would have head coach Matt Eberflus excited. His 4.46 40 was the fastest of any edge player. His 1.54 10-yard split was tied for best. His 40.5’’ vertical jump was the highest of any edge, and his 10’ 7’’ broad jump was tied for the second-longest.
He’ll fill an immediate need for a team that was 31st in the league with just 30 sacks a season ago.
