Third Year Viking Predicted for a Breakout

It’s the time of year to be predicting which players are going to rise to stardom in 2026. Pro Football Focus put out their All-Breakout team for 2026, and there was room in their ranks for one Viking. 

The man to get the shout-out from PFF is outside linebacker Dallas Turner. Way back in January, PFF already singled out Turner as the most likely breakout candidate in Minnesota this year.

Why PFF Believes Turner Is Ready for More Responsibility

They doubled down on their prediction by naming this all-breakout team, which considers all 32 teams across the league.

Following the exit of Jonathan Greenard, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Turner’s situation has improved greatly, as have his chances of a breakout season. With Andrew Van Ginkel more of a “do it all” type of player, Turner is well-positioned to be the Vikings’ number one pass rusher. Of course, he must make the most of this opportunity.

Turner Makes PFF’s All-Breakout Team

PFF is looking for young names who are looking to establish themselves in the league and are formerly unproven talents that can make a leap to stardom this year. They believe Turner fits the bill, and that makes sense. He showed improvement over his rookie year and now has a clear path to a starting role and plenty of opportunities to be on the field. Here is what PFF said about their selection of Turner.

Turner’s first two seasons with the Vikings haven’t seen him become an outward star. That could look different in 2026.

The former 17th overall pick finished with 65.5 and 64.1 overall PFF grades in 2025 and 2024, respectively. But last year was a step in the right direction, as Turner accrued a 70.2 PFF pass-rush grade with 42 pressures and a 12.0% pass-rush win rate.

With Jonathan Greenard now on the Eagles, Turner has a clear runway to both meaningful playing time and improved production for Minnesota.

In terms of stats, Turner had 8 sacks last season, up from 3 in the previous year. His tackles also rose from 20 to 66, tackles for loss from 3 to 11, and passes defended from 3 to 11. Minnesota will be hoping those numbers continue to trend upwards after trading away its star pass rusher.

Both Greenard and Van Ginkel spent time sidelined with injuries last year, which led to Turner getting increased opportunity. He obviously did enough in those moments to convince the decision makers in Minnesota that he can step up and lead the Vikings’ pass rush on the edge.

Selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Turner has always had big expectations on his shoulders. Perhaps it is even more the case in 2026, as the time is now for him to come of age and become the caliber of player expected from a first-round draft pick. Everyone is waiting for him to deliver; it’s now up to him.

Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.