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Unpacking Future Packers: No. 57 Cole Turner

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The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Green Bay Packers selected Jace Sternberger in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The following year the Packers once again selected a tight end in the third round when they drafted Josiah Deguara.

Sternberger is no longer on the team and Deguara has flashed potential and could be a potential breakout candidate for the 2022 season.

Will Robert Tonyan get re-signed after suffering a season-ending injury earlier this season? Even if he is re-signed he was nowhere near as productive as he was in 2020 when he hauled in 11 touchdowns.

Will this be the final ride for Marcedes Lewis? The veteran tight end will turn 38 in May and may opt to retire. Even if Lewis is back next season he’s no longer a starting-caliber tight end.

With so many question marks surrounding the tight end position, expect the Packers to look early and often for upgrades this offseason.

A player that Brian Gutekunst could target in the 2022 NFL Draft is Cole Turner. The Nevada tight end checks in at No. 57 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.

Turner spent his first two seasons at Nevada playing wide receiver. The Clackamas native recorded 49 passes for 605 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020 during his first season playing tight end.

This past season the Nevada tight end reeled in 62 passes for 677 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“Carson Strong, a top-50 draft prospect this year, and Cole Turner were teammates and roommates for the last four seasons,” Chris Murray, a reporter for Nevada Sports Net, said. “Strong called him ‘our LeBron James’ when Turner missed the San Diego State game, a two-point Wolf Pack loss. Turner began his career as a wideout for two years, playing sparingly. His move to tight end before the 2020 season really unlocked his potential as Turner ranked top five in the nation among tight ends in catches, yards, and touchdowns in each of the last two years. Turner was Strong’s go-to guy on third down and around the goal line, so they had a great relationship on and off the field.”

The first thing that stands out about Turner is his size. At 6-6, he has a huge catch radius. He has a basketball background and does a good job of boxing out defensive backs. He has great body control and high points the football.

“He’s going to be bigger than any slot cornerback, safety or linebacker who lines up against him in the NFL,” Murray said. “His greatest strength is his size and ability to basically box out the opposition (he was an excellent high school basketball player as well).”

All those traits make Turner an absolute weapon inside the red zone. Over the last two seasons, Turner has caught 19 touchdowns. The Nevada tight end was so dominant inside the five-yard line that it caused teams to even give him the Calvin Johnson treatment.

“Turner is a legit 6-foot-6 and listed at 240 pounds,” Murray said. “The Wolf Pack tracked his goal-line numbers, and Turner caught 81 percent of the passes thrown to him inside the 5-yard line the last two seasons. Typically, I hate the fade/back shoulder around the goal line because it’s a low-percentage play, but it was almost automatic with Strong and Turner. Sometimes teams would line up two defensive backs against him on the goal line because he was so dominant there.”

In Nevada’s air raid attack, Turner was flexed out as a big slot. He’s a moveable chess piece.

Turner has reliable hands. He’s physical and has no issue working over the middle of the field to make contested catches.

Turner is going to come in and provide an immediate impact in the passing game. He can get open against linebackers and safeties. The Nevada tight end is smooth in his release. He’s a long tight end that can create separation downfield with his strides.

In the season-opener against California, Turner had two drops in the second half. Other than that, he displayed strong hands, including a huge grab in the second half to help Nevada seal the victory.

“He has excellent hands,” Murray said. “He did have a number of drops in the season opener at Cal but thereafter maybe had one or two more drops the rest of the season. He’s a very reliable pass-catcher who is great at high-pointing the ball and is physical at the catch point.”

After the catch, Turner uses his size and physicality to create yards after the catch. He’s a load to take down for defensive backs and he’s always falling forward.

“He’s not going to run the most blazing 40-yard time,” Murray said. “He’s not going to be running by people, but he can pick up big chunks of yards post-catch thanks to his physicality.”

In Nevada’s air raid attack, Turner wasn’t asked to do a lot of blocking. He has the “want to” his technique just needs refinement. He stops his feet at the point of contact and doesn’t sustain his blocks.

When judging Turner as a blocker, one has to remember that arrived at Nevada as a 193-pound wide receiver. He’s done a good job of getting bigger and stronger during his time at Nevada and run-blocking will be part of his game that he’ll improve upon at the next level.

“That’s the biggest knock on him as a draft prospect, which is why you see somebody like Colorado State’s Trey McBride higher on draft boards at the tight end position,” Murray said. “Nevada did not run the ball very much, or very successfully, in 2021, and Turner wasn’t asked to block all that often. He is a willing blocker and can improve there. He’s added a lot of weight during his time at Nevada, so he has more strength than he came to college with. But you’re not drafting Turner to be a run blocker. He’s a weapon as a pass-catcher.”

Fit with the Packers

The Packers need an infusion of talent at the tight end position. There may not be a better pure pass-catching tight end in the draft than Turner.

It’s true that he may not be called upon as a blocker during his rookie season. That part of his game will catch up to his ability as a pass-catcher.

With his size and hands, Turner is going to be a mismatch inside the red zone.

Green Bay’s offense was middle of the pack in red zone efficiency this past season. Adding a player like Turner could help the Packers rediscover the success they had in the “Gold Zone” in 2020.

“He’s a modern NFL tight end who can work the seams and threaten teams down the field,” Murray said. “He’s exceptionally good around the goal line. He once joked to me there are three guarantees in life: “Death, Taxes and Cole Turner on the back-shoulder.” So he’s confident, too. But not overly so. He’s a plus-character and really put in the work to make himself a great college player. I love Cole Turner at the next level, and College Hall of Famer Chris Ault told me before the season began he thought Turner was Nevada’s best NFL prospect in the 2022 class (and the Wolf Pack has three potential top-100 guys). I would use a third-round pick on Turner for sure. I think he spends a long time in the league. I actually mocked him to the Packers in the third round.”