Calvin Turner Jr. has always been adaptable. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound playmaker and NFL Draft prospect has been an underdog throughout his football career, and from a position standpoint, he’s always been a man without a true home.
During his five years in college, split between now-defunct Jacksonville University and the University of Hawaii, Turner played nearly every position on the field.
Calvin Turner Jr.: The more you can do…
At JU, Turner played quarterback and defensive back. When the Dolphins shut down their football program in 2019, Turner transferred to Hawaii — his only FBS scholarship offer — and played running back and wideout while returning kicks and punts.
Now, as he prepares to have his NFL dreams potentially realized, Turner is looking to find his niche in the big leagues.
“Anything that’ll help me make the roster — and be on the 53-man roster next year — I’ll do it all,” Turner told Pro Football Network this week.
Turner’s versatility is important in his quest to make his mark in the NFL. Teams only have so many roster spots on their regular-season depth chart and practice squad, so getting creative at the bottom of both groups can help mitigate deficiencies at multiple positions.
For instance, if teams view Turner as a running back, he could also be used as an emergency receiver, gunner, and returner, allowing a team to go lighter at those spots on game day.
Turner, in some situations, could also be viewed as an emergency QB, given his background at the college level. Teams typically keep two active QBs on the gameday roster, so a doomsday insurance policy is needed among the position players suiting up on Sunday.
Turner can be the “in case of emergency” player for an NFL franchise looking to take advantage of its depth in the trenches or elsewhere.
“It helps me out a lot because I know that sometimes when guys are closer towards the bottom of the roster, it all depends on how much you can do at some point,” Turner said. “I feel like my versatility, and being able to do so much, it helps me out a lot, and it puts me in an advantage over other guys.”
In March, Turner took part in the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas and spoke with scouts from several NFL teams. The feedback on his NFL position has been all over the place.
“It just depends on the team,” Turner said. “Some teams see me as a running back, some teams see me as a receiver. It’s a team-by-team basis on where they see me fit.”
Embracing the underdog
Turner doesn’t have delusions of grandeur. He knows he will be drafted on Day 3 or become an undrafted free agent. He just wants a chance to show what he can do at the next level.
The Savannah, Ga. native produced 1,523 all-purpose yards and 12 total touchdowns last season as a hybrid playmaker. During his two seasons with Hawaii, he scored in 16 of the 22 games he played in, making the All-Mountain West second team as a senior.
Clearly, Turner has talent. It’s just a matter of a team taking a chance on an underdog who has been consistently overlooked throughout his football journey.
“I feel like my entire life I’ve just had to work a lot harder than everyone else around me, a lot of my peers, because I wasn’t ever given anything when it came to sports,” Turner said. “I’ve always had to go out and earn everything that I’ve had in sports, and in all the success I’ve had.”
Whether he’s drafted or not, Turner knows the real work is just beginning, and this offseason could make or break his future in the league. That said, he has shown time and time again that wherever a team needs him, he’s willing to put in that work.
“You’re getting a hard worker,” Turner said. “Someone who is just going to put their head down, learn the playbook, and … just try to outwork everyone around me.”