Cougars’ versatile Turner in a rush
The wait is almost over for Payton Turner.
“I already know these next couple of days are going to go by so slow,” Turner, a former defensive end for the University of Houston, wrote on Twitter earlier this week. “2021 NFL Draft hurry up.”
Once the three-day draft begins with the first round Thursday night in Cleveland, Turner is not expected to have to wait long.
Some mock drafts project Turner as a possible late firstround pick, but otherwise he is widely expected to be taken in Friday’s second or third round.
NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah currently has Turner — who measured at 6-5 and 268 pounds at UH’s pro day on April 9 — at No. 42 among the top draft prospects. Pro Football Focus said Turner’s versatility to play anywhere on the defensive line has him in position to not “slide any further than the middle of Day 2.”
“I think Payton Turner probably goes off (the board) early in second round,” Jeremiah said on a video conference call with reporters.
A three-year starter for UH, Turner played on the interior defensive line earlier in his college
career before moving outside as an edge rusher. He slimmed down from 280 as a junior to 270 in his final season.
“I got those first two years to learn how to really be violent, not scared of contact,” Turner said. “Playing fourhigh and three-technique inside and then transfer that violence out to the edge and getting better coming off the ball. I feel I developed into a really good football player.”
With the ability to play the edge or move inside to tackle, Turner said he understands versatility is “highly coveted” in the NFL.
“I have a lot of versatility, and I know a lot of coaches are high on that,” said Turner, who attended Westside High School. “I’ve played a year and a half on the edge and had some pretty good production and showed versatility along with being able to rush inside and outside. I see myself as an edge player in the league.”
In four seasons at UH, Turner recorded 10 sacks and 25 tackles for loss, most of the production coming in his last two seasons.
Even though he played in just five games during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season, Turner saved his best for last, registering 25 tackles, five sacks, 10½ tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
“I think in the sample size, I’ve shown a good amount of what I can do,” Turner said. “Obviously, not everything I can do, but I think the coaches will see my potential and everything I’ve done.”
UH coach Dana Holgorsen said Turner’s off-field acumen is just as impressive. Holgorsen said Turner took the Wonderlic Test — used by NFL executive and scouts to gauge cognitive ability — and “knocked that thing out of the park.”
“Just sitting down and having a conversation with him, he’s a very mature, bright, impressive guy,” Holgorsen said. “That carries a lot of weight when you are talking about a guy that physically has the tools and is ripped up and just keeps getting better and better and better. When you sit down and talk to him, that’s what you want in your locker room. That’s what you want on your team. I think the world of P.T. I think his best football is ahead of him.”
Turner has seen his draft stock rise since the end of the season. At the Senior Bowl, Turner’s 84-inch wingspan was the longest recorded for an edge player since 1999, according to MockDraftable.com. At UH’s pro day, Turner was timed in an impressive 6.98 seconds in the three-cone drill and 4.33 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle. He also had a 35½-inch vertical jump and bench pressed 225 pounds 23 times.
With interest high, Turner should not have to wait long to hear his name called.
“Every few hours feels like a day,” he said during a segment on NFL.com. “I’m excited to be in this position I’m in, but I can’t wait until Thursday night.”