Major Outlet Names Rams' Kobie Turner Defensive Rookie of the Year
The outlet of record in awards voting is The Associated Press, and we won't know the results of their process until NFL Honors on Feb. 8.
However, another major outlet recently did their own balloting for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and it produced favorable results for the Los Angeles Rams.
USA Today
Each year, Pro Football Talk does their own awards voting. Mike Florio and company released their Defensive Rookie of the Year voting Monday, with Rams nose tackle Kobie Turner taking home the honor.
A third-round pick out of Wake Forest, Turner racked up 57 combined tackles, 16 quarterback hits, nine sacks and eight tackles for a loss in his rookie campaign. He and future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald formed one of the league's most dominant interior defensive line duos in 2023.
Turner is the latest example of general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay finding a diamond in the rough via the NFL Draft, and not even the most notable example in this year's class considering the monster rookie season that receiver Puka Nacua had. Nacua -- a fifth-round pick out of BYU -- set a new record for rookie receiving yardage with 1,486, while also adding 105 catches and six touchdown receptions. He, Turner and outside linebacker Byron Young headline what looks like a franchise-altering draft class, despite the Rams not picking in the first round.
For what it's worth, Turner, like Nacua, isn't the odds-on favorite to win the AP award on his respective side of the ball. Both Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Houston Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. have shorter odds than Turner.
With that said, the additions of Turner, Nacua and Young are major reasons why the Rams are preparing for a playoff game this Sunday, a year after a disastrous 5-12 season for Los Angeles.
