Cincinnati Bengals fans couldn’t have been too shocked when the team used a second-round pick in this year’s draft on Michigan cornerback DJ Turner.
Turner had Bengals written all over him compared to the other prospects on the board in the second round. At 5’11” and 178 pounds with a 40-yard dash time of 4.26 seconds and plenty of leadership and production on the resume, the choice was obvious.
Since, Bengals coaches have talked about their big plans for Turner and the pick has outright received an “A+” grade from analysts.
But what about some of the lesser-known facts about Turner? Here are a few things fans might not know about Turner just yet.
The real name
we didn’t talk enough about how DJ Turner’s first name is “JuanDrago” pic.twitter.com/As5kM7brZc
— Alejandro Zúñiga (@ByAZuniga) March 29, 2023
DJ Turner’s real name is JuanDrago Turner II, which might explain why he doesn’t want periods separating the “DJ” part of his nickname. It should go without saying, but one quick Twitter search would confirm he had one of the most popular names in the draft class.
3-stars
Turner played all over the field and was incredibly productive in high school, yet was a 3-star recruit and 40th cornerback in the 2019 recruiting class. Yet, he amassed offers from heavyweights like Clemson, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Stanford and Tennessee.
Childhood friend with Myles Murphy
Turns out Turner hails from the Atlanta area, not even an hour from Myles Murphy’s origins. Also turns out Murphy and Turner were friends as children, even showing up at birthday parties together, as documented by Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, with photo proof! Now they’re teammates, with Murphy the team’s first-rounder and Turner the second-rounder.
Age difference
Turner joked about joining the Bengals to reunite with former Wolverines teammate Dax Hill, the team’s first-round pick last year. Now that’s a reality — and interestingly, he’s just about one month younger than Hill and one of the youngest players on the team.
Near-John Ross speed
Turner blazed that 4.26-second 40-yard dash at the combine and nearly took down the record held by former Bengals first-rounder John Ross in the process. Ross ran a 4.22 in 2017.
