A year ago, the Houston Texans traded up to select Alabama Crimson Tide edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. with the third overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. A year later, where does Alabama’s star edge rusher Dallas Turner stack up to his former teammate?
There’s a strong sense Turner is a lock to be a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and many draft experts view him as the top pass rusher in the prospect class.
Last year, when prepping for the NFL Draft, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer had multiple NFL minds suggest Turner was a better prospect than Anderson. All Turner has done since is rack up nine sacks and be named as a first-team All-American.
Yet, better than Anderson? That may still seem like a bit of a stretch.
Still, as Breer noted, one NFC executive stated just this week that “Dallas is a better athlete than Will.” Yet, that same exec also said Anderson “played harder,” so it’s not like Turner has all the advantages over his former teammate in the minds of some.
Whether he’s better or worse than Anderson may not matter. At the end of the day, Turner is regarded as one of the best pass-rushing prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft, and you can bet he’ll be selected on the first day too.