Former @UHCougarFB DE Payton Turner (@pt_turner98)celebrating after being taken by the Saints in the 1st round: “Ecstatic,a dream come true..I’m excited to get over to NOLA & ask that Who Dat?..I’m hear with everybody I love. To be able to share this moment with them is special” pic.twitter.com/IQLixIkx40
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) April 30, 2021
There weren’t many Saints fans expecting to see Houston prospect Payton Turner linked to their team in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, but he’ll have plenty of supporters once he starts to make the media rounds. It only takes a few seconds to buy into Turner’s enthusiasm from his interview with Mark Berman of Fox 26-KRIV in Houston.
“Ecstatic,” Turner gushed when asked how it felt to hear his name called at No. 28 overall. “A dream come true. I know it’s just a start, but it’s a hell of a start.”
Turner is a big prospect who hits every benchmark the Saints have set for the position: he stands 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 270 pounds, with rare 35-inch arms and an even more impressive 84-inch wingspan. He turned 22 in January and looks like he can continue to pack on muscle mass, much like his new teammates Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and Carl Granderson did upon joining the Saints.
But he’s not exactly a project. Saints coach Sean Payton laid out a plan for Turner to help the team immediately during a conference call after the first round wrapped up, saying: “He’ll play and earn those reps his first year. We’ll have a clear vision for his role.” Payton pointed to Turner’s length, strong motor, and character makeup as encouraging signs that he has what it takes to succeed.
Interestingly, he was selected by the black and gold on the same day that the Saints picked up the fifth-year option on Marcus Davenport’s contract. That puts all of their top defensive ends under contract through at least 2022, including Davenport, Jordan, Turner, and Tanoh Kpassagnon, with Granderson headed for low-cost restricted free agency next summer.
If Turner can hit the ground running, the Saints might be able to keep up the pressure off the edge after losing Trey Hendrickson in free agency. But these moves aren’t made with current-year needs in mind. Turner could very well be a long-term replacement for Davenport or Jordan depending on how things shake out for each of them. If nothing else is clear, it’s that the Saints believe in Turner, and that he’s relishing the opportunity to justify their confidence in him.
