NFL Draft
1/20/25
6 min read
Shemar Turner 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Texas A&M Aggies DT
Height: 6040 (unofficial)
Weight: 300lbs (unofficial)
Year: Senior
Pro Comparison: Lamarr Houston
Scouting Overview
Texas A&M Aggies defensive tackle Shemar Turner projects as a starting defensive tackle at the NFL level. Turner boasts excellent punch power and upper-body strength, illustrating some ideal reps as a lock, peek & shed point of attack defender.
There are some consistency issues that need to be ironed out, but Turner looks and feels like an eventual starter. Turner has flashed some versatility but should be generally considered a B-gap defender in the NFL. There are baseline traits present to be a dangerous pass rusher, but he’s more proficient and ready to contribute on early downs to help control the point of attack against the run.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Possesses some tremendous punch power to create knockback and win the LOS as a gap control talent
- Intense motor and play demeanor are evident from the tape
- Illustrates ability to deconstruct blocks with his hands and make tackles at the point of attack
Negatives
- Needs to be more vigilant in pad level and control of blocks before surrendering leverage to pursue the ball
- Has struggled with consistency against quality competition, including quiet games versus Alabama & LSU (2023) and Texas & Notre Dame (2024)
- Struggled with some of the little things in 2024, including missed tackle opportunities and penalties (6)
Background
Turner is from DeSoto, TX, and played high school football for DeSoto HS. There, he was a standout talent who earned a 4-star rating (247 Sports) and interest from a slew of power programs across the country. Turner committed to Texas A&M over the likes of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, and many other programs.
Turner quickly found his way onto the field for the Aggies. He played in eight games as a true freshman in 2021. He was awarded the team’s Defensive Top Newcomer Award and the strength & conditioning program’s Freshman Aggie Award that season.
He became a starter in 2022, starting 11 games—then another 12 games in 2023 — while being named Second Team All-SEC before choosing to return to school for his senior season in 2024. It’s worth noting that Turner was recognized by the program with a superlative award in three straight seasons, a testament to his value to the program.
Tale Of The Tape
Turner is a junkyard dog type of talent who flashes some nice point-of-attack skills. He boasts the physicality that, if properly harnessed, can help build a bully front in the NFL. He’s a well-built defender with even body mass distribution. He carries his weight gracefully as he looks to disengage and play off of lateral contact in the trenches. But Turner wins most by delivering the blows.
His punches land heavy on blockers, and he illustrates significant upper-body power and press and extends to gather blockers and control the point. Lapses in consistency can be maddening because when he’s balanced and disciplined with his pads, he’s got teach tape as a gap control player. The instances in which he’s let loose and encouraged to create havoc tend to bring out undisciplined pad level, and he can be a bit over-reactive at first sight of the football.
Turner plays the game with an edge — you can see he’s an “end of the echo of the whistle” player who can be a bit of a pest to the opposition. But the edge he plays with has gotten him into trouble at times with officiating and also got him ejected from a game against Ole Miss for unsportsmanlike conduct. You love that he plays with the fire in the belly, but his coaches will need to ensure that he stays regulated and doesn’t hurt the team with any extracurricular activity.
If you can get him dialed in and disciplined, both from a technique perspective and with his on-field aggression, you have a tight-quarters defender who takes blocks well, has enough anchor to sit down on blocks and take double teams sufficiently, and can completely stonewall movement at the point of attack in solo block opportunities.
As a pass rusher, Turner has a modest get-off that doesn’t consistently overtake opposing blockers. Lineman who soft set him are inviting bull rushes and speed to power conversions with a runway — and he is certainly a powerful player who boasts enough juice to collapse the pocket.
His hands also create knockback, but he is generally considered a pocket presser and not a marquee penetration talent. His deconstruction skills as a pass rusher are oriented more toward powerful pulls and snatches than rapid-fire hand counters that force empty-handed punches.
Turner has some alignment versatility in his future, too. Teams could lean him down to play him more over the tackle as a base end, or he could maintain some of his added weight from this season and play firmly in the B-gap as a potential starter.
The latter option likely leans best into his physical profile. It could give him a winning recipe in a scheme committed to keeping the linebackers clean and asking their defensive line to win the point of attack before playing off blocks to challenge adjacent gaps.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Turner should be regarded as a developmental starter for a gap-control scheme. He added weight in 2024, and it appeared to impact his get-off and pass-rush abilities, so his NFL team will need to decide whether he’s a big end or a defensive tackle.
He appears best suited for an odd front end who plays predominantly over the tackle or in a 4i to help squeeze the edges and protect the second level.
Grade: 76.00/100.00, Third Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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