The Cincinnati Bengals made a stellar pick when taking Michigan cornerback DJ Turner in the second round.
Gifting coordinator Lou Anarumo a 4.26 40-yard dash prospect who excels at mirroring receivers on the boundary or interior was a no-brainer of a draft move — as was reuniting him with 2022 first-round pick Dax Hill.
Understandably, the move earned an “A+” grade from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar:
Speed, speed, speed. Turner ran a 4.26-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, and every bit of that speed shows up on the field. He’ll be a valuable asset in a Bengals secondary in transition. Last season, he allowed just 33 catches on 71 targets for 408 yards, 123 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 68.3. In 2021, Turner gave up an opponent passer rating of 54.8. He is absolutely plug-and-play, and I’m quite surprised he lasted this long.
Turner was sometimes mocked to the Bengals in the first round, which speaks to the value.
Bengals coaches say Turner’s a candidate to play on the boundary in the pros, which puts him in the mix to take snaps in Week 1 if Chidobe Awuzie isn’t ready. Otherwise, he could very well end up being the long-term starter across from Cam Taylor-Britt.
