From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on LSU C Charles Turner III.
#69 CHARLES TURNER III/C LSU– 6-4, 303 POUNDS. (RS SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Charles Turner III | 6035/303 | 9 3/8″ | 34″ | 83 1/4″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | 4.62 | 7.88 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | 31″ | 23 |
THE GOOD
– Good experience at the center position against elite competition
– Also played guard and tackle in college
– Elite arm length and wingspan for the position
– Pretty accurate snapping the football
– Explosive out of his stance
– Great in pass protection and rarely loses a 1 vs. 1 battle
– If he makes initial contact, he usually wins the rep to reposition or seal off guys
– Hand-fighting technique has improved where he can use single or two-hand strikes
– Great pre-snap intelligence to survey threats and redirect to secondary targets
– Plays with a wide base at contact
– Knows how to attack and wash out defenders in the run game
– Does well against counter moves in pass protection
– Keeps legs driving in the vertical run game and is a disruptive force at the second level
THE BAD
– Overly reliant on his wingspan to ward off defenders and win the rep
– Lower and upper strength could use some improvement
– Can be a bit of waist bender
– Grip strength is lacking to sustain blocks consistently
– Footwork breaks down when he panics causing him to narrow his base
– Strong defensive tackles give him issues with power moves
– Lateral movement isn’t fast enough
– Response to stunts is sometimes delayed
– Heavy punches knock him back into the pocket
– Difficulty with speed-to-power rushers
– Ducks his head and lunges for extra power on run blocks
– Doesn’t perform pin and pulls consistently
BIO
– 1,758 offensive snaps during career (1,600 at center, 71 at RT, 58 at LG, 28 at LT)
– 26 starts and appeared in 40 games
– One sack and seven pressures allowed in 2023 season
– Allowed a total of 45 pressures and six sacks in five years of play
– 2024 Senior Bowl participant
– Outland Trophy National Player of the Week vs. Auburn, 2023
– SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week vs. Florida, 2023
– Leader of an offensive line that was one of three finalists for the Joe Moore Award
– Consensus three-star prospect, according to 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN
– Ranked as the sixth-best center nationally according to 247Sports
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Charles Turner III is a center out of LSU who started for the better part of two years and was part of primarily a 64-36 zone-based scheme in college that experienced significant offensive success for the 2023 season. He gained minor experience at left tackle, right tackle, and left guard during his time at LSU, but almost exclusively plays center. He completely rebuilt his frame in college after graduating from high school at roughly 240 pounds and had his weight as recently as 303 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Turner possesses extremely good arm length for a center and uses it to stall rushers and make initial contact. However, defenders still out-reach him and land the initial punch more times than you’d like to see. Getting his hand-carriage placement and punch up more quickly is something that he’s improved upon, but he’ll still need to be faster at the NFL post-snap. The redshirt senior deals with some low snaps, but he’s mostly accurate.
Turner is No. 69 (center) in all of the following clips for LSU:
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 21, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 21, 2024
Turner has good initial quickness as a run blocker that allows him to get out in front of blockers to win with defenders by out-leveraging them. He takes good angles to defenders, knows where to be in position to turn and torque, and can force defenders to work to get around him. Turner can also effectively work combo blocks and work to second-level defenders. The Ohio native is quick to survey threats and redirect to secondary targets, but his response to stunts is sometimes delayed. He keeps his legs driving in the vertical run game and is a disruptive force at the second level. His lower body is still on the lean side and he suffers from some waist bending. Turner lacks the grip strength to sustain blocks consistently, but his wingspan really helps negate this factor at times.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 21, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 21, 2024
As a pass protector, Turner’s athleticism shows in his lateral movements. He can move his feet and feel rushers trying to penetrate the A gaps and seal them off. He also has great awareness to pick up twists and stunts. Turner is able to mirror defenders but struggles with power moves by stronger defensive tackles (bull rush, club, cross chop, arm-over, etc.). There are some examples of Turner re-anchoring against power, but his strength will be tested by NFL nose tackles. He posted multiple wins against Georgia’s Nazir Stackhouse in pass protection (2022) but had no answers for Jalen Carter’s explosiveness and power. Turner surrendered A-gap penetration to Carter multiple times, highlighting his questionable play strength and heavy feet.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 21, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 21, 2024
CONCLUSION
Turner has just as many flashes of real standout plays as a center as he does concerning ones where his limitations become exposed. He has to get stronger in both the run game and in pass protection. He is often able to make initial contact with defenders but can’t sustain the block because of his lack of grip strength. He will lunge or duck his head to throw his entire body into the block, which results in him being off balance and easily shed by defenders. This also shows up in pass-protection situations where he can’t deal with strong bull rushes and the pocket will collapse on him.
He is a solid backup right now going to the next level, and if he improves his overall strength, power, and lateral footwork, he could be a nice starter with his length, intelligence, and technique. Turner has a lot of similarities to an athletic center that came out of the University of Pittsburgh several years ago, Jimmy Morrissey. Both guys are very good pass protectors but need more functional strength to survive in the NFL against nose tackles and powerful defensive linemen. There is a path for Turner where he could start in a few years but will function as a developmental zone-based center to start.
Projection: Mid-Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.7 – Rotational Player (Fifth Round)
Games Watched: vs Arkansas (2023), vs Florida (2023), vs Alabama (2022), at Georgia (2022)
