He played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft, where he made the Pro Bowl every year from 2015 to 2019.

He played offensive tackle for their football team, helping St. Augustine average over 300 yards rushing a game.

In his final collegiate game at the 2014 Outback Bowl, Turner registered a season-high 10 pancake blocks and helped pave the way for 220 rushing yards against Iowa in a win.

[2] He opted to forgo final two years of eligibility at LSU and entered into the 2014 NFL draft after his sophomore season.

[8] As a rookie, during the preseason, Turner won the starting right guard position on the Panther offensive line over veteran Chris Scott.

[8] Turner made his NFL debut on September 7, 2014, in Carolina's 20–14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

His emergence into the starting lineup helped the Panthers rank seventh in the NFL in rushing, including a league-leading 975 yards over the last five games.

He returned in the wild card round of the playoffs, playing in every offensive snap as the Panthers lost 31–26 to the Saints.

In Week 4, Turner was benched in favor of Saahdiq Charles with head coach Ron Rivera stating "Trai isn't quite where he needs to be yet" following the end of the game.