Wake Forest DL Kobie Turner selected by LA Rams with 89th overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft

KANSAS CITY, MO – Wake Forest defensive lineman Kobie Turner became the first member of the Deacons’ 2023 football class selected in the NFL Draft as the 3rd round pick of the LA Rams, 89th overall.

“I have in my mind, I always want to be better,” Turner said on his Pro Day. “I put out some pretty good numbers today. I’m definitely proud of the work that I put in, the work all these guys put in. Been training for this for a couple months now. To see it all come to fruition — it’s been really fast too, I can’t believe it’s already over — but I;m definitely proud of the work that I put out there today.”

Turner was not invited to the NFL Combine, so a solid performance at Wake Forest’s Pro Day helped put his name on the radar of several pro teams.

“He’s a really good football player,” an area scout for an AFC team told NFL.com. “You just worry a little bit about the measurables because guys are a lot stronger in the pros so you can’t just win with power here.”

According to a draft analysis by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, Turner is “an interesting litmus test for how much teams value tape and production versus traits and athleticism.”

“He’s extremely powerful,” Zierlein continued. “He’s infrequently beaten and sustained by single blockers. Motor, determination, toughness and strength fuel Turner’s inevitable forward progress as both a run defender and pass-rush irritant, despite his lack of NFL measurables. He should become a talented rotational defender with a chance to do more.”

Zierlein projected Turner as a fifth to sixth-round pick.

Prior to arriving at Wake Forest as a transfer, Turner was second-team FCS All-American in 2021 at Richmond. In his lone season at Wake Forest, Turner became a third-team All-ACC selection with 38 tackles, 10 for loss, with two sacks, two pass breakups and three forced fumbles. He was also named a PFF Midseason All-American as one of the best-graded interior defensive linemen in the nation.

The NFL Draft concludes Saturday afternoon with the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry and Blake Whiteheart are also expected to be selected.