Kobie Turner's evolution with Rams isn't lost on Aaron Donald

Few rookies can claim what defensive lineman Kobie Turner could when he turned pro in 2023, drafted 89th overall out of Wake Forest by the Los Angeles Rams: that is, the chance to learn from Aaron Donald, perhaps the greatest defensive tackle the game has ever seen. Donald retired after the season. 

Now, three years removed from his apprenticeship, with Donald back in the Rams' building, Turner received glowing praise from his ex-mentor. 

"He's more of a leader. He speaks up a lot more, more of a veteran presence out there than when I was there. So you see the growth on that standpoint," Donald said.

Shaking off the rust from a two-year hiatus, he could use a reminder himself every so often.

"It's good to be out there, you know, because there's times where I might forget something and he'll remind me, and I'm like,' 'Preciate it, I need that right now!' Talking, communicating, that's key."

Kobie Turner has evolved into a leader on Rams defense

With Donald as his guide, Turner turned in an A-grade campaign in their one season together. In 17 games and four starts, Turner led the team with nine sacks to Donald's eight, matching the latter's rookie-year total. 

Turner didn't win Defensive Rookie of the Year, like Donald did, but he finished third in the voting. While he has yet to best his rookie sacks benchmark, Turner has improved significantly since then, both on the field and off it. PFF ranked him sixth among 134 interior defenders last season. Turner is one of the most underrated defensive linemen in the league.

That growth has occurred on the turf and in the box score. Donald is impressed by something different. Turner has always had a certain exuberance, a quiet sense of showmanship whose expression on the field, combined with his background in music, has earned him his nickname. The Conductor. Now he has the veteran experience to go along with it. 

Donald is as humble and hardworking as any star there is, dedicated to his craft so that he'll leave no stone unturned. All the talk has been about how Donald will impact the existing culture and his teammates, but it shouldn't be surprising that he's taking pointers from Turner. He's like that. 

It's also, of course, a testament to the leadership Donald praised in Turner. Since Donald retired, Turner has been not simply a key cog but the Rams' leader on the defensive line. At least for now, even with AD back, he still is. 

The team captain's versatility is part of what makes him such a valuable leader up front. After playing nose tackle as a rookie, Turner has shifted to defensive end in the Rams' 3-4 base scheme.

But that flexibility makes picking spots for Donald that much simpler, where Turner is capable in theory of sliding over to the middle in place of Poona Ford on obvious passing downs.

If defensive coordinator Chris Shula so pleases, he can run out his best interior pass rushers in Donald, Turner, and Braden Fiske while bringing Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart off the edge.

And, like Donald says, Shula can count on Turner to communicate what he sees to his linemates, including the future first-ballot Hall of Famer alongside him.

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