LSU 2014 NFL Draft Profiles: Trai Turner

Trai Turner

Position: Guard
Combine Height/Weight: 6-3, 310 pounds
LSU Listed Height/Weight: 6-3, 316
Hand Size: 9 1/2 inches
Arm Length: 34 inches
40-Yard Dash Time: 4.93
Bench-Press Reps (of 225 pounds): 25
Vertical Jump: 27.5 inches
Short Shuttle: 4.73
3-Cone Drill: 8.03
Broad Jump: 102 inches

Strengths

Strong, athletic guard with great feet that specializes in pulling...feet are nimble, whether he's dropping and pulling to the next level or staying in front of a defensive lineman...long arms allow him to engage the defender and wall them off...low center of gravity helps him anchor versus bull rushes.

Weaknesses

Lacks the ideal height for the NFL, and has a bit of a soft belly...waist might affect his ability to get to the next level against professional-level defenders...needs work on bending his knees in pass protection and not getting over-extended at the waist...can get sloppy with his technique late in games, likely due to conditioning.

Verdict

Trai Turner fits the mold of the kind of guard that can have a very long, successful NFL career. He's got the athleticism to pull and get to the next level and hit NFL defenders, or stay in front of them in pass protection. But he'll need some refinement, both of his technique as a pass-blocker and of his conditioning to hold up over 16-game seasons. Still, the tools are in place and they're easy to see for any NFL franchise to see. Plus, he's handled the process incredibly well and already begun shedding some weight and turning in impressive workouts. But like most guard prospects that aren't lock first-rounders, he'll drop to the middle rounds. But he'll make a team very happy in round three or four.