The column I turned in for today’s paper on Danny O’Brien wasn’t exactly kind to the player who sits second on the Terrapin football team’s all-time passing yards list.
The main culprit? Chris Turner, himself.
The three-year starting quarterback pined for the type of talent that he feels O’Brien brings to the table. It was a jarring quote, especially for a player looking to hook on with an NFL team, either by getting selected in this weekend’s NFL Draft or signing as an undrafted free agent.
Turner has never been confused for the most athletic guy–especially, when he was trying to get around the end during some of the designed run plays offensive coordinator James Franklin called for him last season–so the praise for the Terps’ current stable of quarterbacks makes sense.
But as he looks to jumpstart his pro career, Turner said he has confidence because of the improvements he’s made since his Terp came to a disheartening conclusion.
Following the season, Turner headed back to his native California, where he hooked on with the Performance Gaines, NFL Combine Training program, where he worked out with players such as Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews and Cal wide receiver Nyan Boateng.
He also worked out with quarterback guru Bill Cunerty, a former junior college head coach who has trained players such as Mark Sanchez and Colt Brennan. Turner said in the past few months he’s tweaked his delivery, which has allowed him to improve his arm strength, ‘pretty dramatically.’
The hardest part has been the down time before his fate is decided. Turner, pegged as the No. 23 quarterback prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, was not invited to the NFL Combine or had any individual workouts with teams. The team Pro Day on March 10 was his lone chance to impress NFL personnel.
“I’m just kind of anxious,” Turner said. “This whole draft process is a big waiting game. You wait for the big dogs, the top five at each position to kind of filter their way through. Teams out there are more concerned about making sure they pick the right guy in the early rounds. They’re not as worried about guys like me that aren’t going to go in the first or second round or anything like that.”
Where might he end up? Turner said the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots have shown interest. A while ago, former Terp receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey called to tell him the Oakland Raiders, Turner’s favorite squad growing up, were taking a look at him.
Right now, Turner is in College Park training with several former Terps, including Lamont Jordan and Isaiah Williams. On Thursday, he’ll head back to California in preparation for his big weekend.
“It’s an exciting time,” Turner said. “I’ll be relieved when this is all over and I kinda have a better idea of what my destination might be.”
Eric Detweiler is The Diamondback’s Terrapin Football Team columnist. He can be reached at edetweilerdbk@gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/edetweiler.