Tag: Jared Verse

Jared Verse says ‘it’s a dream come true’ to be drafted by Rams

Rams first-round pick Jared Verse was all smiles after being drafted by the Rams, calling it a “dream come true”

A surprise selection to many but not to Jared Verse. The newest member of the Rams, who was drafted 19th overall on Thursday night, Verse knew Los Angeles would be a possible landing spot thanks to the team’s pre-draft interest. After being drafted by the Rams, Verse spoke about his constant communication with the team throughout the draft process.

Now that the draft card has been submitted and Verse is headed to Los Angeles, it’s all smiles for the former Florida State Seminole.

When asked about his thoughts on the selection, Verse had this to say: “To hear my name with ‘Los Angeles Rams’ attached to it…woo…dream come true.”

A dream coming true, indeed. Not only does Verse fill an immediate need for the team, but he also brings a level of enthusiasm only reserved for the true lovers of the game.

Verse had 31.5 career sacks in his collegiate career, averaging nine for the past three seasons. A foundational piece of the FSU team that went undefeated in the 2023 regular season, the Seminoles were 23-3 with Verse on the field.

Watch highlights of new Rams edge rusher Jared Verse

Jared Verse was a menace for opposing offenses in his two seasons at FSU. Check out some of his best plays.

Jared Verse was viewed as one of the best defenders in the 2024 draft class, and the Los Angeles Rams got him with the 19th overall pick. The Florida State edge rusher is a relentless player on defense and someone who knows how to disrupt opposing offenses, whether it’s by pressuring the quarterback or blowing up running backs in the backfield.

It’s why he was expected to be a first-round pick in 2023 before he chose to return to Florida State for one more year. He had yet another fantastic season last year, recording nine sacks for the second straight season and adding 12.5 tackles for a loss.

It’s easy to see what made the Rams covet Verse in the draft this year when watching his highlights with the Seminoles, which we’ve compiled here. Check out two highlight reels from his last two seasons, showing exactly what type of player the Rams are getting with their first-round pick.

2023 highlights

2022 highlights

Instant analysis: Rams nail first-round pick with FSU’s Jared Verse

With the selection of Jared Verse, Les Snead continues to prove why he’s one of the best GMs in the business.

Many should consider the Rams lucky. Jared Verse had a very unlikely route to Los Angeles. After an incredible career at the University of Albany, Verse transferred down the Atlantic coast to Florida State where he had nine sacks and 17 tackles for loss during his first year with the Seminoles.

Many expected him to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft as he was a predicted top-15 pick. However, he decided to return to FSU where he put up nine sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in 2024.

Verse was once again expected to be a top-15 pick. Yet, due to the early run on offensive players, Verse fell into the Rams’ lap at No. 19 overall and they didn’t pass up the talented pass rusher.

He could not be entering a better situation.

While Kobie Turner and Byron Young are the new men in charge of the Rams’ defensive front, they were rookies just one year ago and exploded onto the scene. They will mentor Verse as Cooper Kupp did for Puka Nacua.

Not only that, but Rams defensive line coach Giff Smith has developed raw prospects into becoming NFL-caliber producers during his time with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Verse is young but experienced. He’s explosive off the snap, has a relentless motor and will thrive as the Robin to Byron Young’s Batman. He will have favorable matchups and will be an instant contributor for the Rams.

By staying patient, the Rams now have a premier pass rusher and maintain their vast amount of picks heading into the next rounds of the draft. They nailed this selection, letting the board come to them without panicking and trading up to fill a need.

Los Angeles Rams select Florida State EDGE Jared Verse with the 19th overall pick. Grade: A

The Rams used a first-round pick for the first time since 2016, and they spent it on a great edge-rusher in Jared Verse.

The Rams stuck and stayed in the first round for the first time since the 2016 draft, and they got the most physically imposing edge-rusher in this class with Jared Verse. Verse can be bendy to a point, but he really wins with power and technique. His physical profile is a lot like that of Texans edge-rusher Will Anderson Jr., the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

A football, basketball, and track star in high school, Verse had humble collegiate beginnings with two seasons at Albany in 2020 and 2021, transferring to Florida State in time for the 2022 season. It took Verse little ramp-up to succeed at a higher level; in his second game for the Seminoles against LSU, he had two sacks, seven total pressures, and three stops. Verse totaled nine sacks, 36 total pressures, 25 solo tackles, and 26 stops in that first season, but the fun was just beginning.

Last season, Verse had 11 sacks and 62 total pressures in 329 pass-rushing snaps, adding 25 solo tackles and 24 stops. FSU’s first two-time first-team All-ACC defensive end since Reinard Wilson in 1995-96, Verse was a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy, an AFCA first-team All-American, and a second-team All-American by ESPN, Associated Press, USA Today and The Athletic.

PLUSES

— Verse has average arm length and wingspan, but he makes the most of it. Verse extends his hands and arms through blocks, and will use them to shorten the distance to the ballcarrier.

— Consistently explodes off the snap with bad intentions; whatever move you have to deal with from there, you have to deal with that first.

— Old-man strength is a thing; he has reps where he just nukes a poor tackle with speed-to-power or just pure power. 254-pound player who hits like he’s 270.

— Will put the tackle off-balance with foot-fakes, and then, it’s off to the races. You do not want to be on one foot when Verse plows through you.

— Agility and foot movement also allow him to just work around blockers; his crossover move is a real asset, and he can flip 1-2 gaps to pressure from inside.

— Can stack and shed with the best of them, and he’s quick off the aggressive move to the pocket.

MINUSES

— Can get a bit exuberant at times on his way to the running back, resulting in some flat-out whiffs.

— As a pass-rusher, could stand to play with a bit more control at times; his pressure numbers would improve with a finer-tuned GPS.

— Has the athleticism and skill set to be a dip-and-rip/motorcycle lean (copyright @gregcosell) rusher, but that would have to be developed.

Verse is my favorite kind of draft prospect; he’s done so much to refine and expand his toolkit, but he’s not a low-ceiling player at all. The athletic upside is kind of silly here, and it’s pretty easy to project him as an EDGE1 in the NFL.

Rams select Florida State OLB Jared Verse with 19th overall pick in 2024 NFL draft

The Rams bolstered their defense in Round 1, selecting edge rusher Jared Verse out of Florida State

The Los Angeles Rams defense took a serious hit when Aaron Donald announced his retirement this offseason, but they’re adding an impactful piece on that side of the ball in Round 1.

With the 19th overall pick in the first round, the Rams selected Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse. He’s the third edge rusher off the board, going after Laiatu Latu and Dallas Turner.

Verse was expected to go much earlier, but the first 14 picks were offensive players, which pushed defenders like himself down the board.

In each of the last two seasons, Verse recorded nine sacks, totaling 29.5 tackles for a loss in that span.

Verse should step in right away and start opposite Byron Young at outside linebacker, competing for snaps with Michael Hoecht. The Rams desperately needed pass-rush help and they were fortunate to have Verse fall to them at No. 19.

Rams select Jared Verse with pick No. 19 in NFL draft

The Rams picked FSU pass rusher Jared Verse in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Los Angeles Rams picked FSU pass rusher Jared Verse with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit on Thursday evening.

Verse (6-4, 254 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 31 times at the NFL combine earlier this offseason. He spent the first three years of his college career at Albany before transferring to FSU ahead of the 2022 season.

Over the last two years, Verse totaled 29.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 18 sacks with the Seminoles.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has compared Verse to LaMarr Woodley, who was a second-round pick out of Michigan in the 2007 NFL draft.

Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon had Verse ranked as the third-best pass rusher in this year’s class (No. 17 overall), below Alabama’s Dallas Turner (No. 12) and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu (No. 13).

Following five years at the college level, Verse enters the NFL as a 23-year-old rookie set to turn 24 in November.

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Broncos are ‘always looking’ for cornerbacks and pass rushers

“You’re always looking at those type of positions. They’re hard to find. If someone falls in your lap, you’re going to take them.”

There’s been much speculation that the Denver Broncos could trade up for a quarterback during the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

If trading up proves to be too costly, Denver could attempt to trade down and acquire more picks. It takes two parties for a trade, though, and there’s no guarantee the Broncos will be able to generate interest in pick No. 12.

If the team ends up staying put, there will be talented options on the board at pick No. 12, including a few notable pass rushers and cornerbacks.

“You’re always looking for corners and edge, value-type positions,” general manager George Paton said during his pre-draft press conference last week. “We like our corner group. We have one of the best corners in the league. We like our nickel in ‘J-Mac’ [Ja’Quan McMillian]. We have two young outside guys, Riley [Moss] and Damarri [Mathis] and Tremon [Smith]. We have a good, young group. They’re younger, so we like the group, [but] you’re always looking to add at those type of positions.

“The outside ’backer group, we have three that are really talented: [Nik] Bonitto, [Baron] Browning and [Jonathon] Cooper. We have a young Drew Sanders, if he stays outside. So we like the group, but you’re always looking at those type of positions. They’re hard to find. If someone falls in your lap, you’re going to take them.”

Paton was careful to note that the team “likes” their current corners and pass rushers, but he admitted the team won’t pass on a top CB or OLB if one of the elite prospects in this year’s draft falls to them at the right spot.

The top cornerbacks in this year’s class are Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold. The top pass rushers are Dallas Turner, Laiatu Latu and Jared Verse. The first round of the NFL draft will begin tonight in Detroit.

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Bucs land dream pick in latest 1st-round mock draft

This would be a dream scenario for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft

One of the most useful NFL mock drafts every year is the final one put out by NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, and this year’s version is the best-case scenario for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In his latest first-round projection, Jeremiah has the Bucs landing Florida State edge defender Jared Verse at the No. 26 overall pick.

Here’s what Jeremiah had to say about the selection:

I could see a team like Tampa Bay making a trade to go get Verse if he starts to slide. In this exercise, he’s available at No. 26 and would be one of the best value picks of the first round.

It wouldn’t be shocking at all to see the Bucs move up a few spots for Verse if he gets close to their original slot, which would make it a massive win if he manages to slide all the way to No. 26.

It’s no secret the Bucs need another impact player off the edge after parting ways with Shaq Barrett this offseason, and Verse has the complete skill set and polished technique to make an immediate impact. That’s exactly the kind of player Tampa Bay needs as they look to win a fourth straight division title.

To check out Jeremiah’s full first-round mock draft at NFL.com, click here.

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Cory Bonini’s 2024 NFL mock draft 3.0

Quarterbacks dominate our final mock draft update of 2024.

Here’s my final 2024 NFL mock draft. Be sure to check our NFL Draft Central page for the rest of our mocks, player scouting reports, and post-draft analysis of every key pick relevant to fantasy football.

*projected trade

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Ravens GM Eric DeCosta calls edge rusher class in 2024 NFL draft ‘average’

Ravens’ general manager Eric DeCosta called the EDGE class in the 2024 NFL draft “average”

The Baltimore Ravens will likely look to add to their edge room before the 2024 offseason concludes. The team already re-signed veteran pass rusher Kyle Van Noy, but they could sign an outside free agent or draft a rookie who could be a difference-maker.

When speaking to the media, Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta gave his honest opinion on the upcoming edge class in the 2024 NFL draft. He said that the pass rusher group available this year is only “average”, saying that it depends on what teams are looking for with speed, power, and more.

“I think it’s an average Draft, I would say, for edge pass rushers. There are certainly some guys at the top. For us, we’ve had success throughout the years in finding some guys in the middle rounds that have been good players for us. It really depends on what you’re looking for. You have your speed rushers. You have power guys, guys that can do both, guys that have to play in a three-point stance [and] guys that can play in a two-point stance. A lot of it has to do with your fit and what you’re looking for. Our coaches play a big part in that in their evaluation. [Pass rush coach] Chuck Smith does a really, really good job of evaluating pass rushers and has done a good job for us coaching those guys as well. We’ll get the [Draft] board squared away. There are certainly some guys at the top that probably won’t be there when we pick. So, the challenge for us is going to be who’s going to be that next-tier group of guys in that sweet spot between the 25th player to the 45th player that we have a chance to get either at [pick No.] 30 or at [pick No.] 62.”

The Ravens will be relying on young players such as Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo regarding their edge rushers, alongside the veteran presence of players like Van Noy. However, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team add a rookie edge player, even in an “average” class.