When Aaron Donald retired, the Los Angeles Rams immediately filled the void by drafting a pair of talented defensive linemen in Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.
Verse and Fiske were a wrecking crew during their time together at Florida State and the Rams sought to recreate their success at the NFL level. Los Angeles selected Verse No. 19 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft and they wound up trading up in the second round to take Fiske at No. 37.
The moves were made out of necessity as there isn’t one player who can replicate the havoc Donald created up front, but adding Verse and Fiske ensured the team would have two building blocks to for the defense around. So far, Verse has been one of the most impactful defensive rookies in the league while Fiske has started to come into his own the past month.
With the 2024 season about halfway over, both Verse and Fiske find themselves atop their draft class when it comes to total pressures, via PFF:
Updated rookie pressure totals, according to PFF:
Jared Verse, Rams – 31
Braden Fiske, Rams – 21
Laiatu Latu, Colts – 17 (has played 8 games)
Chop Robinson, Dolphins – 11
Elijah Chatman, Giants – 11 (playing tonight) pic.twitter.com/Ott9WJLWTX— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) October 28, 2024
Verse’s 31 total pressures are impressive and the film backs it up as he’s routinely in the backfield getting after opposing quarterbacks. While he’s had trouble finishing plays, Verse was able to get home against Sam Darnold in the Rams’ Week 8 win against the Minnesota Vikings when he recorded 1.5 sacks.
As for Fiske, he’s often following Verse’s lead and occupying multiple defenders while the edge rushers get their one-on-one situations. Fiske had a slower start compared to Verse, but has been put in better positions to pass rush with the secondary being able to cover more effectively.
What makes the rookies’ totals even more gaudy is they had a Week 6 bye, so there’s an opportunity for the two to separate themselves even further. If Verse and Fiske continue to improve at the rate they are, then Los Angeles can feel confident in their defense’s potential the rest of the regular season and beyond.
Jared Verse mic’d up for Week 8 against Vikings
Jared Verse has become well-known for his willingness to be vocal and talk trash on the field and that was on full display against the Vikings. Verse was mic’d up for the Rams’ matchup and could be heard chirping at several Minnesota players as well as hyping up his teammates.
