Rams DT Kobie Turner's Defensive Rookie Of The Year Odds Skyrocket
Puka Nacua isn't the only Los Angeles Rams player in the running for a Rookie of the Year award.
While the former fifth-round pick out of BYU, who is on the verge of breaking the NFL's rookie receiving record, has been L.A.'s most notable rookie, defensive tackle Kobie Turner has been no slouch either. Turner, a third-round pick out of Wake Forest, already has 15 QB hits, eight tackles for loss, and nine sacks, tying the record for a rookie defensive tackle that fellow Ram Aaron Donald set in 2014.
Kobie Turner
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Turner has flown under the radar for most of the season, until Wednesday that is. After not even being listed one day earlier, Turner's odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year suddenly skyrocketed to the point where he now has the third-best odds to win the award.
The only players with better odds than Turner to win the award are Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr., both of whom were top-10 picks.
Recently, the Rams have been very vocally supporting Turner in the DROY race. Defensive line coach Eric Henderson gave the most passionate endorsement, taking to X to voice his support while calling out an alleged bias in the voting.
"It’s so rigged for 1st rounders to win!" Henderson wrote. "This guy should not be penalized for getting drafted in the 3rd round. Awful and I can’t stand it! Give Kobie his award already!"
Meanwhile, Donald was more subdued in his praise for Turner, simply commenting "DROY" on a Rams post about the younger defender.
Some hardware would certainly be nice, and Turner has certainly made his case for it. Regardless of how the race ends, though, the Rams have to be happy about their find in the third round.
