Is Turner an option next to Dexter Lawrence?
The New York Giants suffered a huge blow when star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence’s 2024 season was ended early by an elbow injury.
Their no-name defensive line depth put forth an admirable effort and the team actually improved their run defense without their best player. But the loss of Lawrence also served to highlight the thin depth chart behind him. The defensive line is intended to be the strength of the Giants’ defense, and most believe that they need to reinforce that strength.
Texas A&M’s Shemar Turner is getting lost a bit in the shuffle of a deep and talented defensive tackle class. But could he be the under-the-radar complement to Dexter Lawrence that the Giants need?
Prospect: Shemar Turner (5)
Games Watched: vs. Notre Dame (2024), vs. Missouri (2024), vs. LSU (2024), vs. Texas (2024)
Red Flags: Shin and torn Labrum (suffered in 2023, repaired early 2024)
Measurables
Height: 6-foot-4 (estimated)
Weight: 300 pounds (estimated)
Strengths
Best traits
- Length
- Explosiveness
- Agility
- Competitive toughness
- Play strength
Shemar Turner is a long, athletic, and powerful defensive lineman who played out of multiple alignments for Texas A&M. He has good size for a one-gap defender at 6-foot-4, 300 pounds (estimated), and carries his weight well. He’s relatively lean for a defensive tackle and maintains an athletic physique despite gaining weight over the last couple seasons.
Turner played all over the Aggie’s defensive line, from edge defender to nose tackle, though he most often lined up as a B-gap defender as a senior. That alignment works well with Turner’s build and athleticism, allowing him to use his length and burst to attack blockers one-on-one and penetrate into the backfield.
He generally keys the snap well and is among the first defenders moving at the start of the play. Turner has a good burst and doesn’t waste energy with his get-off, generally transferring it directly into the blocker. He’s primarily a power player, using his explosiveness and flexibility to get his hands on blockers first and win the leverage battle soonest. He uses a bull rush as his go-to, with a push-pull move as his primary counter when blockers anchor against his initial power. His strength and burst allow him to push the pocket, while his length and good hand placement allow him to discard blockers to attack into the backfield.
Turner’s play strength and hand usage also make him an effective run defender. He does a very good job of controlling individual blockers and is able to use his agility and length to occupy (if not control) multiple blockers. His overall athleticism allows him to efficiently navigate the trash at the line of scrimmage and he has remarkable short-area quickness to make plays on ball carriers who enter his vicinity. Turner is also dogged in pursuit, playing with a wide-open motor and he is a very secure tackler. He always wraps up the ball carrier and reliably gets them on the ground without allowing yards after contact.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Leverage consistency
- Pass rush
Turner is an athletic lineman, but his game is based around strength and power. That’s effective as long as he maintains his leverage, but he can be quickly neutralized if he either loses leverage or is out-leveraged by the opposing blocker.
He’s athletic enough that it doesn’t happen often, as long as his technique is sound. However, Turner can occasionally be prone to popping up out of his stance or rising out of fatigue. In those instances, his strength and power are largely neutralized and he can be moved off the ball. There were also instances where the Aggies asked him to take on multiple blockers, and he simply doesn’t have the mass to do so without giving up ground.
Turner can also use coaching as a pass rush technician to reach his ceiling. In particular, he has a tendency to use an arm-over (or swim) move as a speed counter to his power rushes. Unfortunately, that can force his center of gravity up as well as expose his chest to blockers. That can leave him high-centered and allow blockers under his pads. A long-arm or rip move would be more effective counters when he has the room to use them.
Game Tape
(Turner is the Texas A&M defensive tackle No. 5, wearing a black sleeve on his right calf)
Projection
Does he fit the Giants?
Potentially, depending on what they’re looking for in a defensive lineman
Final Word: A good Day 2 value
