Kobie Turner's success depends on preparing just like Aaron Donald did

Whether you believe it or not, the LA Rams see NT Kobie Turner as the natural successor to the void created by the retirement of All-Pro DT Aaron Donald. That is not something that 'The Conductor,' has taken upon himself. Rather it is a yolk that was placed on his shoulders by the LA Rams football organization, and by Rams HC Sean McVay.

That is a lot of pressure for the 89th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft to take on in his second NFL season. But before you fret or become overly concerned, you have to step back and see exactly how the young nose tackle turned defensive tackle is handling the matter with confidence and humility.

Turner was clearly disapponted in falling short of winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. But he didn't sob about it. He immediately took action to take counsel with the best in the NFL: Teammate Aaron Donald.

And so, Kobie Turner put in the work at honing his skills, improving his hand usage and reflexes, and started down the path that Aaron Donald trekked each new NFL season. Those same training techniques that helped Donald remain at the top of his game will allow Turner to reach the top of his game:

It takes a very mature and self-confident man to take on the role and responsibility of leading the charge to the team's defensive line in 2024. But it's clear that Kobie Turner is grounded, knows what he can do this season, and understands that it will not all fall on him to make plays. And yet, this is the time when a young man's mind can play tricks on him. So far, no signs of the role being too big for Turner are evident.

Here is the transcript shared by The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue that places Turner's self-awareness on full display.

Turner knows how to put up great numbers in the NFL. He has been there, done that, already. So the leap from 2023 to 2024 is not as great of a jump as you may suspect. The team would not dare to entrust such an important role to Turner if they did not believe that he was ready to take it on. And from what we've seen from him so far, he is doing everything to prepare for 2024 that the team could ask of him.

I have often wondered what might have triggered Aaron Donald's decision to retire from the NFL. Did he suddenly realize that he had met all of his football goals and it was a good time to hang up his cleats? Did other options for his time rise to pull him out of the NFL in 2024?

Or was it the emergence of an understudy named Kobie Turner whose passion and ability for football reminded him of his own entrance into the NFL? Did he finally find a young man who he could entrust to lead the team in 2024 without him? We may never know the answer.

What we do know is that the baton has been passed from Aaron Donald to Kobie Turner for the next leg of this race. And it appears that Turner is up to the challenge.

Thanks for reading.