Bengals selected Michigan CB DJ Turner with the No. 60 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The IMG Academy product was an unheralded three-star prospect who spent two years working his way up the Wolverines’ depth chart before finally breaking into the lineup in 2021. That year he earned Honorable Mention All-American honors with a sterling 54.8 passer rating when targeted and 83.8 PFF coverage grade. Turner (5’11/178) raised his level of play last year by recording 11 PBU with a 46.5 completion rate en route to Second Team All-Big Ten status. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with savvy, technique, and speed. And by speed, we’re talking a ludicrous 4.26s which was the fastest time at the 2023 Combine. Turner backed his rare speed score with a 38.5 vertical (88th%) and 10’11” broad jump (96th%) for a very projectable 9.59 RAS. A true worker bee, he can trigger in a snap and accelerates like a roadster when he’s trailing. While he’s still filling out his frame, the biggest concern NFL teams have is does Turner have enough strength to hold up physically on the outside against bigger wideouts despite his lean upper body? While he spent most of his Michigan tenure on the boundary, Turner will need to improve his play strength to win consistently in the NFL.
