'Exceptional Splash!' Kobie Turner Earns 'Secret Superstar' Status in 2023

Originally posted on FanNation Ram Digest
By John Macon Gillespie | Last updated 1/27/24

The Los Angeles Rams featured a strong cast of characters who helped them right the ship in 2023, but some players always fly under the radar in a given season.

Enter Pro Football Focus. The publication recently highlighted a "secret superstar" from all 32 NFL teams this season, and they gave the nod to Rams rookie defensive tackle Kobie Turner, saying he made an "exceptional splash" in his first professional campaign.

You can read an excerpt from the piece below.

Like Tuipulotu, Kobie Turner was a rookie who made an exceptional splash in 2023. The Rams' third-round pick tallied nine sacks and 50 pressures, outperforming every other rookie interior defensive lineman in the process. His 83.2 overall PFF grade was the 11th-highest at the position too.

Turner played for two college programs before his professional days, originally suiting up with the Richmond Spiders before finishing with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He was selected by the Rams with the 89th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and PFF called his pairing with Aaron Donald "one of the NFL's better interior duos" after this season.

His defensive performance helped the Rams turn a 3-6 start to the season into a 10-win finish and a playoff berth, one that ended with an unceremonious exit against the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card round.

This article first appeared on FanNation Ram Digest and was syndicated with permission.

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