Trai Turner

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For the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player, see Trea Turner.

Trai Turner
refer to caption
Turner in 2016 as a member of the Carolina Panthers
No. 51 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born: (1993-06-14) June 14, 1993 (age 28)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:315 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Augustine
(New Orleans, Louisiana)
College:LSU
NFL Draft:2014 / Round: 3 / Pick: 92
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2021
Games played:110
Games started:106
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Trai Denzell Turner (born June 14, 1993) is an American football guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State University. He played for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020.

High school career[]

Turner attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He played offensive tackle in high school but was projected to play offensive guard in college. He helped St. Augustine average over 300 yards rushing a game and was selected for the 2011 PrepStar All-American team. He was also a member of The Times-Picayune's Blue Chip list and was selected to play in the 2010 Darren Sharper Lake Pontchartrain All-Star Football Classic.[1]

Turner was rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and the 14th best offensive guard in the country.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Trai Turner
OG 		New Orleans, LA St. Augustine 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 345 lb (156 kg) 5.10 Feb 2, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 76
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 16 (OG)   Rivals: 14 (OG), 13 (LA)  ESPN: 49 (DE)
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2011 LSU Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  • "2011 LSU Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.

College career[]

Turner attended Louisiana State University (LSU) from 2011 to 2013. After redshirting as a freshman in 2011, he played in 12 games and made seven starts as a redshirt freshman.[2] He made his first start at right guard in a win over number 3 ranked South Carolina.[2] In 559 snaps, Turner finished 2nd on the team with 51 pancake blocks.[2] LSU had a 100-yard rusher from four of the seven games in which Turner started. In his redshirt sophomore year, Turner started and played in all 13 games. In 857 snaps, he recorded 64 pancake blocks and in his final collegiate game at the 2014 Outback Bowl, Turner registered a season-high 10 pancake blocks and helped pave the way for 220 rushing yards against Iowa in a win.[2] For his career, Turner played a total of 1,416 snaps with 115 pancake blocks.[2]

He opted to forgo final two years of eligibility at LSU and entered into the 2014 NFL Draft after his sophomore season.[3][4]

Professional career[]

Turner surprised many with his decision to enter the 2014 NFL Draft as he only had 20 career college starts.[5] While he was highly regarded within NFL draft circles, many believed that by spending another year in school, Turner could have solidified himself as a first round draft pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.[6] His power as a run blocker, mean streak, and length drew comparisons to Marshal Yanda.[7] At the 2014 NFL combine, Turner surprised many analysts with his speed and athleticism, recording the fastest 40-yard dash among offensive guards.[8] Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones noted after the 2014 NFL Draft that had the Cowboys not traded the number 78 overall selection in a deal to move up to select Boise State defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, they would have used that pick to draft Turner, whom they regarded as an immediate starter.[9]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+5⁄8 in
(1.90 m) 		310 lb
(141 kg) 		34 in
(0.86 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.84 s 1.72 s 2.81 s 4.77 s 8.16 s 27+1⁄2 in
(0.70 m)		 8 ft 6 in
(2.59 m)		 25 reps
All values from NFL Combine[10] or LSU Pro Day

Carolina Panthers[]

Turner was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.[11]

2014 season[]

On June 4, 2014, Turner signed a four-year contract.[12] As a rookie, during the preseason, Turner won the starting right guard position on the Panther offensive line over veteran Chris Scott.[12] Turner made his NFL debut on September 7, 2014, in Carolina's 20–14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[13] Turner made his first NFL start during the Panthers week 5 victory over the Chicago Bears. His emergence into the starting lineup helped the Panthers rank seventh in the NFL in rushing, including a league-leading 975 yards over the last five games.[14] On December 23, 2014, Turner was named to Sports Illustrated All-Rookie Team.[15] Through 618 snaps in the season, Turner did not allow a single sack and Turner surrendered just 11 quarterback disruptions.[15]

2015 season[]

Turner picked up where he left off from his strong rookie season. Through the first three games, he did not allow a sack and surrendered just three quarterback pressures. Turner had not allowed a sack for the past 627 snaps, the third-longest streak in the NFL at left guard. Through six games, Turner allowed just eight hurries as a pass protector and as a run blocker, he rated as PFF's fourth-best run blocker in the NFL. Further, through nine weeks, Turner ranked as PFF's 4th best guard in the NFL. Turner was selected for his first career Pro Bowl during the season. Turner could not play in the Pro Bowl due to the Panthers appearance in Super Bowl 50. For the season, Turner allowed just one sack all season despite a passing attack that held the ball longer than most and targeted downfield often. Further, Turner was charged with only 2.5 blown blocks in 1,074 snaps played. The only full-time guard with a better rate of blown blocks per snap was Dallas' Zack Martin.[16] According to PFF, Turner also had the seventh-highest pass-blocking efficiency among guards. On September 6, 2016, Turner became the first solo offensive lineman since Nate Newton to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.[17]

On February 7, 2016, Turner was part of the Panthers team that played in Super Bowl 50. In the game, the Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–10.[18]

2016 season[]

Turner started all 16 games at the right guard position for the Panthers in 2016, earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl.

2017 season[]

On July 20, 2017, Turner signed a four-year, $45 million contract extension with $20.5 million guaranteed.[19] He started 13 games at right guard before missing the final three games with a concussion. He returned in the wild card round of the playoffs, playing in every offensive snap as the Panthers lost 31–26 to the Saints. Turner was named to his third straight Pro Bowl as an injury replacement.[20]

2018 season[]

Turner started 13 games in 2018, missing Week 2 and 3 with a concussion and Week 17 with an ankle injury. He also was named to his fourth straight Pro Bowl.

2019 season[]

Turner started 13 games in 2019, missing three due to injury. Furthermore, Turner was named to his fifth straight Pro Bowl.

Los Angeles Chargers[]

On March 4, 2020, the Panthers agreed to trade Turner to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for Russell Okung.[21] The deal became official on March 18.[22]

Turner was released by the Chargers after one season on March 12, 2021, having started nine games at right guard.[23]

Pittsburgh Steelers[]

On June 25, 2021, Turner signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year, $3 million contract.[24][25]

References[]

  1. ^ http://highschoolsports.nola.com/player/trai-turner/
  2. ^ a b c d e http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205087847
  3. ^ LSU OL Trai Turner intends to enter NFL draft
  4. ^ LSU guard Trai Turner leaving Tigers for NFL draft
  5. ^ Trai Turner Rotoworld College Player Page
  6. ^ "Day Two Analysis: Kony Ealy And Trai Turner". TheCharlotteSportsBlog.com. May 10, 2014.
  7. ^ "2014 NFL Draft Scouting Report – Trai Turner, G LSU". WithTheFirstPick.com. March 31, 2014.
  8. ^ OL 40 Yard Dash Top Performers - 2014 NFL Combine
  9. ^ Goodbread, Chase (May 14, 2014). "Cowboys VP: We likely would have drafted Ealy absent trade". NFL.com.
  10. ^ Trai Turner Combine Results
  11. ^ Henson, Max (May 9, 2014). "Panthers draft G Turner in third round". Panthers.com. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Trai Turner Rotoworld NFL Player Page
  13. ^ "Panthers 20, Buccaneers 14". Panthers.com. September 7, 2014.
  14. ^ "Carolina Panthers bio". Panthers.com.
  15. ^ a b "Derek Carr, Odell Beckham Jr., Aaron Donald headline All-Rookie Team". SI.com. December 23, 2014.
  16. ^ "ESPN reveals Carolina Panthers most underrated player". 247Sports.com. July 8, 2016.
  17. ^ @mitchgoldich (September 6, 2016). "An @SInow cover for Trai Turner..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Super Bowl 50 - Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers - February 7th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  19. ^ Sessler, Marc (July 20, 2017). "Trai Turner agrees to four-year Panthers extension". NFL.com.
  20. ^ "Graham Gano, Trai Turner named to Pro Bowl roster". Panthers.com. January 10, 2018.
  21. ^ Shook, Nick (March 4, 2020). "Chargers, Panthers set to swap Okung for Turner". NFL.com.
  22. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Acquire Five-Time Pro Bowl Guard Trai Turner". Chargers.com. March 18, 2020.
  23. ^ "Trai Turner and Malik Jefferson Released". Chargers.com. March 12, 2021.
  24. ^ Varley, Teresa (June 25, 2021). "Steelers sign Turner". Steelers.com. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  25. ^ "Steelers' Trai Turner to Earn $3MM".

External links[]

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