Did a breakout Pro Day elevate former Clemson star Nolan Turner into an NFL Draft pick?
CLEMSON – James Skalski had seen it all before, so he was the least surprised person when former Clemson teammate and roommate Nolan Turner turned in a dominant performance at the Tigers’ Pro Day last month.
Turner recorded the fastest time in the 40-yard dash (4.46 seconds), the top effort in the vertical jump (37½ inches) and tied for the top spot in the broad jump (10 feet, 2 inches).
“I knew he was going to put on a show,” Skalski said.
Now Turner hopes to get to the “show.”
Most analysts projected Turner to be a Day 3 selection on Saturday, but the former Clemson safety was still awaiting a call as the draft entered its seventh and final round late Saturday afternoon.
Prior to Clemson’s Pro Day on March 17, Turner was widely regarded as a player who could be on the outside looking in on the draft’s final day.
His Pro Day showing may have changed all that.
Although Turner wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, his vertical jump would have ranked fourth among safeties at the Combine and his 40 clocking would have ranked ninth.
Bruise Brothers: Can Clemson's Bruise Brothers continue to deliver big hits at the next level?
Clemson and the NFL: Andrew Booth Jr., Mario Goodrich expected to join crowd of Clemson cornerbacks in NFL
More: Nolan Turner's brother is also a Clemson Tiger. Here's that unusual story.
“I’d been training for this day and this moment for a while now, so it was good to come out here and perform well and up to my expectations,” Turner said. “I hit a lot of the numbers and goals I was trying to hit.”
Turner did his pre-draft training at XPE Sports in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he focused on improving his speed and explosiveness.
Mission accomplished.
“He’s played high-level football and was very successful at Clemson, but that was the biggest question about him – is he explosive? Can he do some of the things that he needs to get drafted as high as he wants to?” said Matt Gates, a trainer who worked with Turner at XPE.
“After about the first three weeks or so we started to do some re-timing of some splits and saw some of the improvements he was starting to make and knew he had the potential to go low- to mid-4.4s (in the 40-yard dash). None of the scouts we spoke to thought he had a chance to do that.
“He also interviewed well. He’s smart, he’s personable, he’ll pass with flying colors on all that stuff, and coupled with his workout and his film, I think he’ll get drafted.”
If so, he’ll continue a family legacy. His late father, Kevin, played at Alabama and was a teammate of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney there before going on to play eight years as a fullback in the NFL with the Patriots and Eagles.
Kevin died from ALS in 2016, just six weeks after Nolan signed with Clemson but not before Swinney promised Kevin that he’d be there for Nolan and take care of him.
Swinney did just that, and Nolan rewarded him with an impressive career that included 65 games played – the fourth-best total in program history – and second-team All-America honors in 2020.
Today, Swinney offers a sales pitch for prospective Nolan Turner shoppers.
“He’s always backing us up, talking us up,” Turner said. “He tells them, ‘If it’s close, take the Clemson guy because you know he’s prepared.’ ”
Lance Zierlein, a draft analyst for NFL.com, calls Turner a “team leader with average size, good testing speed and a special teams background that improves his chances of finding work. Turner has limitations, but offers the athletic profile and versatility to be a late-round pick.”
That would be just fine with Turner.
“I think I proved that I was athletic enough,” Turner said. “At the end of the day I think I have the speed and athleticism to play at the next level.”
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter at @ScottKeepfer.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: NFL draft pick? Did a strong Pro Day elevate Nolan Turner
