LAR • LB • #8
Verse (6’4/254) worked his way up from the lower levels of college football, attending Albany for his first two seasons before transferring to Tallahassee to play for the Seminoles in 2022. He wasted little time making an impact at the FBS level, posting the eighth-highest PFF pass rush grade in the Power Five (88.6) with 17.0 TFL and 9.0 sacks, though he produced an elevated 27% missed tackle rate en route to being named First Team All-ACC. The Dayton, Ohio native would go on to exceed even those lofty standards this year, creating the second-most pressures in the nation (62) with a sterling 91st percentile pass rush grade that ranked fifth overall. An ACC quarterback’s worst nightmare, Verse was responsible for an 11.7% pressure rate (4th in P5) and 21.8% Win Rate (2nd in P5) in passing situations. Verse performed the full range of tests at the combine. He ran a 1.59s 10-yard split (95th%) and 4.58s 40-yard dash (9.78s) at 254 pounds, which are breathtaking times for his size. His 31 bench reps were five more than the next closest edge in the 2024 group, and second among all Combine defenders, for an extraordinary 9.60 Relative Athletic Score. He explodes into contact and unleashes a furious bull rush that can stagger even the most rooted OTs, which sets up a devastating push-pull move. Verse will sometimes lose sight of the ball carrier and over-pursue, leaving himself vulnerable to cutbacks. Still, he has a captivating power-edge profile with verified athleticism that bears a resemblance to Boye Mafe. After watching Aaron Donald retire this offseason, the Rams wasted no time retooling their pass rush by making Verse their first round-one pick since Jared Goff in 2016.
about 1 year ago
April 26, 2024 2:27 AM
