Which 2nd year LA Rams player is the most promising building block for 2024?

I: NT Kobie Turner

Perhaps nobody was more surprised at how effective rookie nose tackle Kobie Turner was in 2023, but once he realized that he could get to and bring down opposing quarterbacks, no other rookie did it better. That's right, an interior defensive lineman chosen with the 89th pick in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft topped all rookies in 2023 at sacking quarterbacks.

In fact, Turner's rookie sack total of 9.0 tied the rookie sack total of DT Aaron Donald from his 2014 rookie season. Let that sink in for a moment. And that is not due to his getting single blockers. Kobie Turner was double-teamed more often than even Aaron Donald in 2023.

So it's no wonder that of the many options, Bleacher Report's David Kenyon had this to say about The Conductor for his encore performance:

"Kobie Turner is not Aaron Donald. Also, if the Rams get similar production from Turner in 2024 compared to his rookie year, look out. Turner gathered 57 tackles with nine sacks and 20 pressures. Anything close to those numbers would be hugely encouraging on a youth-filled line."

- David Kenyon

As Kenyon cited above, The Conductor put up 57 tackles, 9.0 quarterback sacks, and 20 pressure in his rookie season. And that was all from the nose tackle position, a spot that inherently earned him double-teams. In fact, per ESPN analytics, Turner's 72 percent double-team rate was tops among NFL defenders, tying the rate of Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones.

While Kenyon seems a bit skeptical about Turner's having an impactful season in 2024, that is not a consensus, One of the best NFL analysts, Brian Baldinger, is very optimistic about Turner's second season with the Rams. You can put me down as quite optimistic

I am already on record believing that the combination of Kobie Turner and Byron Young in their second season together could approach 25+ quarterback sacks and 135+ tackles. With the arrival of reinforcements for the 2024 NFL season, I am still just as optimistic.

I get it. The Rams defense is young. The Rams defense is inexperienced. The Rams defense is unproven. But if the Rams can land the top two pass rushers in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, imagine the exploits of the two top defenders added by the Rams in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Happy days are here again, #Ramily.

And as always, thank you for reading.