Report: Charles Turner signs with New England Patriots as undrafted free agent

The New England Patriots have signed LSU Tigers offensive lineman Charles Turner to a deal as an undrafted free agent, according to a report by Yahoo Sports.

Charles Turner is coming to the NFL as a prospect who consistently played center for the LSU Tigers. That seems to be the position that he’s going to look to play at the NFL level. It’s, of course, an important position, but finding better versatility could help him at the next level.

The LSU Tigers had a phenomenal offensive season in 2023. The team was led by a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels. However, Charles Turner and the Tigers’ offensive line was also a key piece of the puzzle, with LSU finishing 2023 first in scoring offense (45.5 points per game), 11th in rushing offense (204.54 yards per game), and 44th in sacks allowed (1.69 per game).

Charles Turner played high school football at IMG Academy (Florida), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 462 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

As a freshman in 2019, Turner played in three games, redshirting. That was the year that LSU most recently won a national championship. Since then, the Tigers changed coaches from Ed Orgeron to Brian Kelly and won a total of 46 games during his time with the program.

The New England Patriots are a team in transition, as Jerod Mayo takes over from his mentor Bill Belichick as the team’s next head coach. In the NFL Draft, the Patriots clearly emphasized rebuilding the team’s offense, which has been poor since the departure of Tom Brady following the 2019 season.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Charles Turner

Ahead of the NFL Draft, analyst Lance Zierlein broke down Charles Turner and what NFL teams can expect to see from him on Sundays.

“Turner is an undersized center-only prospect who relies on his tenacity to overcome his limitations. The LSU offensive line was a physical unit and Turner fit right in. While he held his own for the most part, the step up in competition could strain his ability to keep up as both a run blocker and pass protector,” Zierlein wrote.

“He has good length and is a decent athlete but will need to improve his technique and show that he can play with enough contact balance to grind out reps on the NFL level.”