There’s a specific moment that stands out when thinking about rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner and his seemingly limitless potential. It came back in the spring with the Vikings steadily working their way through organized team activities.

Asked about the player the Vikings selected with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 draft, star left tackle Christian Darrisaw likened Turner’s explosiveness to that of former star edger rusher Danielle Hunter.

“He had a spin move last week that was quicker than Danielle,’” Darrisaw said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Damn. This guy is going to be special.’ ”

Wait. Seriously?

“I swear it was quicker than Danielle,” Darrisaw said while nodding his head. “He put it on somebody and I was like, ‘Holy (expletive).’”

As staggering as that statement is on the surface, it was worth wondering if it would translate once the Vikings put the pads on. The time for that finally came on Monday afternoon at TCO Performance Center, and while Turner didn’t produce any viral moments, he certainly looked the part of an impact player.

“I woke up with a smile on my face knowing I get to put some pads on,” Turner said. “It was good to fly around and hit some people.”

It’s been awhile for Turner. He actually hadn’t put the pads on since the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. That, of course, was when he and the Alabama Crimson Tide suffered a heartbreaking 27-20 loss to rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the Michigan Wolverines.

As excited as Turner was for the physicality to get ramped up, defensive coordinator Brian Flores was equally as excited to see how he responded to the change.

“Just feeling the length, the strength, the instincts, of NFL offensive linemen,” Flores said. “I think there’s a getting-used-to-that factor for every rookie. That’s no different for him. I think he’ll answer the bell, because that’s what he does.”

That proved to be the case as Turner showcased his explosiveness in individual drills and team drills.

“He wants it all,” Darrisaw said. “You can tell every day he’s coming out here giving it his all.”

The mutual respect between both players has been cool to see in real time. Asked last week about going up against Darrisaw on a daily basis, for example, Turner replied, “If I go against a guy like that in practice every day, I know the game is going to be easy.”

“I ain’t never seen a left tackle like that,” Turner added with another laugh. “I ain’t going to lie.”

It will be interesting to see how much Turner progresses throughout training camp. He’s already off to a great start, and maybe the most impressive thing about him is that he doesn’t seem satisfied in the slightest.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned so far about myself is that there’s a lot more work that needs to be done,” Turner said. “There’s a lot of room to improve before we get to that first game.”

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