The Los Angeles Rams have been one of the best teams in the NFC this season thanks in large part to their defense. They rank second in points allowed and are one of the best in the league at getting to the quarterback led by the duo of Byron Young and Jared Verse.
Verse has undoubtedly taken some steps forward from his rookie year when he was named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. In just eight games, Verse has nearly matched last season’s totals in sacks, tackles for loss and QB hits and that might have to do with his ongoing mentorship with Rams legend Aaron Donald.
On the latest episode of the Fitz & Whit Podcast, Verse spoke about how much Donald is mentoring him, sending him clips and giving the young defensive star advice after every game:
“Even after our first game against Houston this season, I didn’t have a great game. I was out there, they had a good game plan for me, a good setup for me. So he shot me a text, like, ‘Hey, man, you’ve got to work something off the power.’ I’m like, ‘All right, what do you have in mind?’ He’s sending me clips, giving me ideas. He’s like, ‘Try this, try that. Do this, try this move.’ I’m like, ‘All right, what do you think about this?’ I’d ask him about the cross-chop. He’s like, ‘The cross-chop’s a good move. It takes a while to master. It took me about a year to master it. If you can knock it out real quick, try it in practice and keep trying it in practice until you feel confident in a game.’ So I’m knocking it out, trying it in practice, trying it in practice. Still haven’t hit it in a game because I’m still not confident in it. But he just gives me advice all the time, like, ‘Hey, try this, try that. Or this move right here.’ He’ll send me my clips. He’ll be like, ‘This move right here, if you did this, that’s an easy sack. You’ve got to hit this next time. Once you get in this position, hit this.’ Just to know that AD – the best defensive player ever, first-ballot Hall of Famer, all that good stuff – is reaching out to me to make sure I’m taking care of what I have to do and helping me elevate as a player, it’s helping me so much and it clears my mental sometimes, too.”
To be able to learn from one of the all-time greats and, in many eyes, the best defensive player ever, in Aaron Donald is truly a blessing and Verse is wise to soak up as much as he can. It also shows how invested Donald remains in the success of the Rams overall.
Verse is so talented and is already making such an impact for this Rams defense and if he continues on this path, and learning from Donald he likely will, the Rams truly have a cornerstone player on their defense who could potentially help lead this team to another Super Bowl Championship.
Rams coach Sean McVay compares Jared Verse to the Incredible Hulk
Rams head coach Sean McVay is certainly happy to have Jared Verse on his side and following some outstanding plays made against the Baltimore Ravens, McVay compared the defensive end to one of the strongest superheroes in the Marvel Universe.
