Chargers DL coach in attendance to see Houston DE Payton Turner

The Pro Day schedule is just about wrapped up for the 2021 offseason as draft prospects are about to get some much-needed time off to rest and relax prior to seeing their dreams come true later this month.

Today, two notable pro days took place with UAB and the University of Houston. Of the two, the Chargers chose to send defensive line coach Giff Smith to Houston to take in the workout of defensive end Payton Turner, one of the best mid-round talents in this year’s class.

At 6’5 and 268 pounds, Turner has the versatility to play edge and kick inside on obvious passing situations. He did not run the forty-yard dash on Friday, but still put up some ridiculous numbers in the tests he did complete. First, his 35.5 inches in the vertical are nothing to scoff at, but it’s his unofficial 6.70 in the three-cone and the 4.25 in the short shuttle that should be grabbing most of the attention.

This past season, Turner was named a Second-Team All-CUSA selection after posting 10.5 tackles-for-loss and five sacks in five games played. From 2018-2019, he started all 23 games en route to totaling 12.5 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks. As a rotational player in his true freshman season (2017), Turner recorded a lone sack and picked off a pass. He also ended his career with 10 total pass deflections at the line of scrimmage.

Let me know what you all think of Turner as a prospect. If the Bolts pick an edge, I believe it will be with one of their two third-round picks. Any higher and I’d question the strategy.