The Cincinnati Bengals have had a dubious record in the NFL Draft of late, whiffing on a higher quantity of premium picks than is desirable, let's say.
Like congratulations I guess to the Bengals front office for the zero-brainer top picks that Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase were. What an audacious couple of calls to, you know, draft a quarterback No. 1 overall who had the single greatest individual season in college football history, followed by his favorite target from that season the next year.
Make no mistake, though: It's been an embarrassment for Duke Tobin and Co. since then.
Bengals picks between 10 and 60 since 2021:
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) October 1, 2025
➖Jackson Carman
➖Dax Hill
➖Cam Taylor-Britt
➖Myles Murphy
➖DJ Turner
➖Amarius Mims
➖Kris Jenkins
Dax Hill is the only one performing at a starter level right now.
Hard to be a team that relies on draft picks and win this way. https://t.co/DTF80GANpJ
Except there may be hope yet in the wake of one of those players' exceptional performances in Week 6's 27-18 loss at Green Bay. Could it be a sign of what's to come on Thursday night against the Steelers? Are we witnessing a star in the making!?
Bengals CB DJ Turner balled out in Week 6 — can he keep it going?
I've been such a DJ Turner stan that, back in my days at Barstool Sports, I was stumping for the Bengals to draft him in the first round. Instead, Turner went off the board in Round 2. Props to Cincinnati for scoring him. Anti-props for drafting Myles Murphy on Day 1.
Anyway, Turner was brilliant this past Sunday. To the point where you start to wonder if the Bengals actually hit on a higher draft pick for once. Whereas Cam Taylor-Britt keeps playing his way to the bench, Turner keeps stepping up when his number is called upon.
A solid film breakdown on X by The 33rd Team's Ethan Young features a caption that underscores Turner's strengths:
"DJ Turner's tape has been ridiculously impressive for the Bengals so far this season. He looks like an All-Pro with how he pedals, his elite recovery speed, top notch pass breakup skills, and natural instincts."
Turner actually leads the NFL with 11 passes defensed, and registered a 91.6 PFF coverage grade against the Packers. That translated to three catches allowed on eight targets for only 22 yards, along with four PBUs.
Not that I'm some college all-22 film guru since it's basically impossible to get hands on for any media profesh, but the scouts who evaluate college talent for a literal living for each NFL team get it wrong so foten. I don't feel like it's rocket science.
Saying that to say, when it came to DJ Turner, I was like, "Huh. Multi-year starter at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh. Probably a smart-ish football player! Oh, and he has sub-4.3 40 speed? Yes please! First round! WHO DEY!"
Now Turner's development hasn't been without turbulence. However, he was flashing very well in Year 2 last season before a broken collarbone cut his 2024 campaign short. Not surprising to see him flourish — and it's desperately needed for a super-thin Bengals cornerback corps.
Defensive coordinator Al Golden needs to build game plans around Turner. Against the Steelers in particular, Turner is the rare burner who has the makeup speed to catch up with DK Metcalf. Since Calvin Austin is out for Pittsburgh, Golden can have Turner shadow Metcalf, and focus on pattern matching over getting physical with press coverage. It's a good matchup skill-set wise.
Gosh it'd be so nice to have Turner be a franchise cornerstone. He has athletic gifts that you can't coach — or that bad coaches can't mess up. It's time to go all-in on DJ Turner, because frankly, his elite talent is starting to translate to Pro Bowl-caliber production.