The Kansas City Chiefs lose several interior defensive linemen to free agency in a few weeks. Selecting new linemen through the 2025 NFL draft will provide the Chiefs with cost-effective contracts. Several Texas A&M Aggies, including star defender Shemar Turner, could be on Kansas City’s draft board.
Turner is verified at 6’3″, 289 lbs. with 33 1/4-inch arms, which makes him an undersized interior presence. He spent most of 2022 and 2023 playing defensive end before kicking inside for his final season. This suggests he will gain more weight and continue adjusting his technique once he reaches the NFL.
Turner’s active hands play a large role in his pass rush plan. He knows a full arsenal of moves and counters but doesn’t deploy them consistently. Turner uses club-rips, club-swims, push-pulls, swipe-chops and two-handed swipes. His swim is the most refined move in his pass rush plan. He sometimes gets skinny to shoot the A-gap.
Texas A&M DT Shemar Turner was awesome vs. LSU.
Somehow only credited with one pressure in this game, Turner frequented the backfield in this one. He’s a first-team off-the-bus player who is twitchy and explosive off the ball.
fun, fun player. pic.twitter.com/FKHMpeIcag
— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) November 1, 2024
Turner lacks instant-win pass rush moves and doesn’t deploy enough counters to revive his attack once it stalls. His upright pad level and undersized frame limit his ability to generate power. Turner’s active hands lack precision and often miss their marks on chops and swipes.
Turner creates separation from blockers in the passing game with the initial pop in his hands and finishes the rep with a rip move. He deploys a similar technique against the run. Turner changes directions well for a player his size and showcases nice burst over short areas to finish plays. His ability to track down ball carriers in space separates him from other interior linemen in this class.
Turner lacks the mass to consistently hold the point of attack and doesn’t possess any counters for double teams. He projects as a mid-Day 3 developmental prospect who could become a nice rotational piece once fully acclimated to life on the interior.
