As NFL draft approaches, Canton native Charles Turner III thankful for brother's guidance

Canton natives Charles Turner III and Eddie Zinn-Turner are an inseparable pair. There was a time the two brothers never left each other’s side.

Eddie is the oldest brother by four years. When he was playing football, Charles was a water boy, following him everywhere he went. Charles was inspired to play football just by watching Eddie play growing up and seeing what it did for him.

“He has seen how I prepare for games, my work ethic off the field,” Eddie said. “In the offseason, he is always with me working out and, I’m telling him what drills he has to do. The most important thing I instilled with Charles was being tough. Nobody is coming to save us. We have to come save ourselves, and that applies to football as well as life.”

Charles' commitment to football enabled him to star as a center at LSU. He earned an invite to this week's NFL Combine. Charles takes the field with the rest of the offensive linemen at the combine on Sunday.

Eddie starred at Malvern High School. A three-year letterman for the Hornets, he signed with Marist College, where he became a three-year starter. He then finished his college career at Vanderbilt. Despite multiple attempts to play at the pro level, his long-term injuries ended his career. He now resides in Houston, Texas, where he owns a solar company.

“My brother really inspired me the most, (more) than anybody in this world doing what I do now,” Charles said. “Seeing him go through high school, it was kind of hard for him to get to that next level, the collegiate level, and when he did, he excelled a lot.”

Charles and Eddie are more than brothers. They are best friends. Eddie even play a father-figure role, at times, for Charles while they were living on their own. Throughout their childhood, they moved from home to home, temporarily staying with relatives and friends. For Eddie, it made them closer together.

“We grew up a little distant than most kids,” Eddie said. “We would play the position where we have to depend on each other. It was early on that he was dipping on me for guidance and support, mentally, emotionally, and physically.”

More: 'I love to compete': Canton native Charles Turner III ready for Senior Bowl, NFL Combine

Charles Turner makes his mark at McKinley High School

Charles, also known as Tank, played his first two years of high school football at McKinley. As a sophomore, he became a starter at left tackle, protecting the blindside of former Bulldogs quarterback and current Chicago Bears defensive end Dominique Robinson. 

“Tank was a dog in high school,” Robinson told The Canton Repository. “... He was a force on our O-line. He had the mentality of a dominant offensive lineman where he wanted to impose his will on the other team and make them look stupid. He was as cool as could be as a teammate. He could joke, but when it was time to lock in, he would always be locked in.”

Charles enjoyed his season with Robinson.

“Dominique was just a real standup dude,” Charles said. “He was a good kid, and always heavy and deep in his space. He just couldn’t be shook. Nique was a hard-working kid. I knew that I would see him in the league one day, but I didn’t know I would see him play defensive end. It’s like one day, I might have to block him.”

Current McKinley head coach Antonio Hall wasn't coaching the Bulldogs then, but was a family friend. Charles calls Hall his uncle, and would do O-line training with the former Kentucky Wildcat All-SEC lineman whenever he visited.

“Tank is a resilient kid, as tough as they come,” Hall said about Charles. “He's a natural leader that people gravitate towards because of his infectious personality. He's one of the smartest players I've worked with and has a high football IQ. Those qualities will make him successful at the next level and are way more important than any measurement or test.”

"He did a lot of things for me that I can never thank him enough for," Charles said. "There would be times it’ll be like 9:30, 10 p.m. at the house, and he would come by the house, and we would be in the kitchen working on kick-steps. Antonio will always be in my heart forever. I have so much love for him. That’s my uncle.”

Charles Turner increases football IQ, switches to center after enrolling at IMG Academy

After his sophomore season, Turner participated in the Under Armour camp the following summer. He was one of the top five performers in his group, which caught the eyes of the coaches from the IMG Academy. They flew him to Bradenton, Florida, for a visit and offered him a chance to play for IMG. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one Turner couldn’t turn down. He left McKinley and moved to Florida to play for IMG in his two remaining high school years.

“It was a great opportunity," Charles said. "I mean, I didn’t want to leave home per se, but you know, it was an open opportunity at the time. More exposure and being looked at."

Moving to Bradenton, Florida, wasn't that much of a culture shock for Charles. However, there were some elements that he had to adapt to, like the Florida weather.

“It was always hot,” Charles said. “I’m from Ohio, man. It’s always cold, cold. But here, it’s always hot in Florida. So going down there, that was the biggest challenge for me, dealing with the heat. Once I got used to it, it was just trying to keep myself hydrated as possible. It was a great experience for me to come down to Florida. It helped me become a man per se.”

Charles also said he learned more Xs and Os inside the classroom to increase his football IQ. Every day, his coaches had him write down an offensive play on a whiteboard and break it down schematically.

“Charles is a very, very smart person, let alone a football player,” Eddie said. “He is able to combine is physicality with his technical aspect. So he knows, OK, if this guy is lining up outside, he’s going to have to speed-rush me. Let him fly up the field.”

Charles only had one SEC offer before he enrolled at IMG. He then received numerous offers from Power Five schools. Once he received SEC offers, he knew that was the league he wanted to play college football in.

Turner moved to center in his senior year at IMG because of his game-calling abilities and football IQ. He became a three-star prospect and one of the top centers in the country before committing to LSU.

“I challenged myself to play at the highest level, so I wanted to play in the SEC for sure," he said. "So when I made that switch to IMG, that was the destination ... for me. "

‘The hard part is over,' but Turner's football career is just beginning

Charles announced at the beginning of January he was forgoing his final year of eligibility at LSU to enter the NFL Draft. Eddie recognized all the hard work was paying off for his brother.

“I always told Charles, ‘Tank, the hard part is over,” Eddie said. “We won’t go through anything. It’s already what we went through … To be in the position that we in now, we thank God and appreciate one another for motivating each other.“

Eddie knew exactly what he was going through. He went through it after finishing his college career at Vanderbilt. Before Charles began his process, Eddie gave Charles some words of encouragement from his experience.

“I just told him to keep a level head,” Eddie said. “Don’t let the scouting reports or let these media people affect you. You know what you know, and don’t let any of these reports affect you, or that media get to your head. Keep working hard and work on the things scouts told you to work on while you’re training and stuff. All he has to do is keep doing the same thing he has been doing. Stay healthy and stay prayed up and keep praying to God and thank him and appreciate him for all the opportunities that he has been giving him.”

Emotions will run high for the Turner family, especially the two brothers, whenever Charles' names is called during the draft. There have been tears already during the pre-draft process. Eddie guarantees more tears will fall once Charles’ name is called.

“As soon as he signs with his agent and the scouts start giving him grades, telling him where he thinks he’s going to go, as soon as the buzz starts kicking up, oh man, we cried like two babies,” Eddie said. “I know on draft day it’ll be the same thing. We’ll just look at each other, hug each other and just cry, cry and cry. Because that’ll be officially official.”

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton's Charles Turner III is NFL draft prospect with brother's help