Michael

Turk

Turk (6'0/226) declared for the draft over the winter, hiring an agent in the process, but ultimately went undrafted. The redshirt junior punter said in a social media video that “due to COVID-19 and extenuating circumstances,” the NCAA has given him a re-up on his eligibility, something that you just don’t see. Turk and Arizona State argued in an appeal to the governing body that the pandemic prevented Turk from truly showing out for scouts (well outside of ripping up 25 reps on the combine bench press). And that flier of an appeal actually worked, apparently. Turk’s return is a boon for Arizona State, as the redshirt junior was a first-team All-Pac-12 performer in 2019.

Turk (6'0/226) has had a lovely little combine to date. After declaring for the draft as an undergraduate -- somewhat unusual for a punter -- he went on to tear it up on the combine bench press with 25 reps, a better mark than those of vaunted tackles Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton and Andrew Thomas (albeit that crew’s collective arms are longer than Turk’s). And while Turk won’t be tasked with too much running about in the pro, he has the same wheels as standout Dayton TE Adam Trautman.

Turk (6'0/226) ended up putting more reps on the bench than any tight end save for Joseph Degura, who also repped up 25 times. Punter strength, baby. NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein compares Turk to longtime veteran pro punter Matt Turk. Michael’s nephew, if you didn’t know.

Turk (6'1/228) is the rare special teamer to declare early for the NFL Draft. It’s not completely unprecedented, but it’s not often a special teams player is sought after enough to be able to declare early. Even more unusual, Turk didn’t even punt at all in high school. It was not until his early college days that Turk began to punt. Like most special teamers, expect Turk to be drafted on Day 3 or go undrafted.