The Cincinnati Bengals reunited cornerback DJ Turner with his Michigan Wolverines teammate, Bengals safety Dax Hill, when they made Turner their second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday night.
Many of the Bengal fans reacting to the pick on social media expressed excitement about Turner's speed. Turner's 40-yard dash time of 4.26 was the fastest of the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
The two-time all-Big Ten selection had 69 tackles, three interceptions and 20 pass breakups in two seasons for the Wolverines.
What to know about Turner:
Turner's high school, North Gwinnett, is northeast of Atlanta, while Murphy's high school, Hillgrove, is near Marietta, northwest of Atlanta. The two high schools are about 45 miles apart.
As a senior in high school, Turner attended IMG Academy in Florida before heading to Ann Arbor.
The Bengals consider Turner primarily an outside cornerback.
Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo told The Enquirer's Kelsey Conway and others that the team sees Turner as "primarily an outside cornerback," but some have speculated that Turner could be a strong option as a slot CB.
"Turner is scheme-diverse with the ability to line up inside or outside in coverage," NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in Turner's draft profile.
It'll be interesting to see what the Bengals' plans are, as The Enquirer's Charlie Goldsmith tweeted, given that they've drafted four defensive backs in the first three rounds between last year's draft (Dax Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt) and this year's (Turner and third-round pick Jordan Battle of Alabama).
Turner is about one month younger than college teammate Hill.
Hill was the youngest player on the Bengals' roster before the draft started. He's older than the three players the Bengals have selected in the first three rounds of this year's draft, but not much older than two of them.
Hill is about five weeks older than ex-teammate Turner, and about 10 weeks older than former Crimson Tide standout Battle. The Bengals' first-round pick, Murphy, just turned 21 in January.
Turner's given first name is JuanDrago.
JuanDrago is also his father's name. He's known to wear a shirt that says "JuanDrago Michigan."
Turner probably won't get to wear No. 5 with the Bengals.
Turner wore No. 5 at Michigan, but Bengals receiver Tee Higgins vowed to change from No. 85 to No. 5 after last season.
The number Turner wore at North Gwinnett, No. 14, was worn by former Bengals great Ken Anderson.
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