For the first time since the 2016 season, a first-round rookie took the field for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Jared Verse, the 19th overall pick out of Florida State, came into the NFL with a lot of hype and after sitting out the preseason, Rams fans were itching to see their top rookie on the field.
And boy, did he deliver.
Verse was excellent in his NFL debut, recording four tackles, two quarterback hits and his first career sack. That’s a solid stat line, but the underlying numbers and film show he was even better than the basic box score shows.
According to Pro Football Focus, Verse recorded six total pressures. That’s a very strong number, especially considering it was only his first game as a pro. Consider this: Byron Young was excellent as a rookie in 2023 and he never had more than five pressures in a single game.
Just look at his closing speed on this play, which was a stunt with Kobie Turner on the right side. His pursuit of Jared Goff is what forced the ball out quickly, limiting it to a short gain.
Verse’s six pressures were tied for the sixth-most among all edge rushers in the NFL in Week 1, more than players such as Nick Bosa, Khalil Mack, Von Miller and Maxx Crosby. This was all against a very good offensive line in Detroit, too, primarily rushing against left tackle Taylor Decker.
Looking at ESPN’s pass-rush win rate metric, Verse graded out as one of the top edge rushers based on those statistics, as well. He had the sixth-highest pass-rush win rate of any edge rusher (33%), tied with the likes of Bosa and Crosby, and just 3% lower than Aidan Hutchinson – a player who dominated against the Rams on Sunday night.
Even more impressive, Verse ranked highly in this category despite being double-teamed 20% of the time, per ESPN. That’s the fourth-highest rate of any edge rusher who ranked in the top 20 in pass-rush win rate.
He was an easy prospect to like coming out of Florida State and he’s only going to get better as he adjusts to the speed of the NFL game and gains experience against professional tackles.
Verse can win with speed around the edge, power against offensive tackles or hand technique like he did on his first career sack above. He’s the complete package and it’s no surprise that he shined in his NFL debut.
