Last time we saw Taliese Fuaga, he was busy keeping the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, off the stat sheet. After the bye week, Fuaga gets to face fellow rookie Jared Verse. Verse isn’t anywhere near the household name Garrett is, but he’s played well
We previewed the matchup going into the season, but we couldn’t have predicted how well these players would have performed in their first season in NFL.
We circled the matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams rookies because it’s the only game Fuaga has against a first round edge rusher. Toss the rookie statuses out the window, and the game should still be anticipated.
Fuaga has the lowest pressure rate allowed by a rookie. In comparison, Verse has more pressures than any rookie. Let’s dive deeper. He is already warranting double teams. That hasn’t stopped Verse, however. His six pressures while being doubled are third highest among all pass rushers.
In this matchup, Fuaga will have to make sure his base is strong. Verse is a powerful rusher who does a good job converting speed to power in his pass rushes. Verse does a good job of knocking linemen backwards. A strong anchor and good hands will be imperative to Fuaga winning this powerful rookie showdown.
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