There wasn’t much to be happy about for the Los Angeles Rams after their disappointing loss on Monday Night Football to the Miami Dolphins. The offense looked disjointed and the defense didn’t get stops when it was needed. But one major silver lining was the play of 2024 first-round NFL Draft pick Jared Verse.
The Florida State rookie was incredible on Monday night, collecting two tackles for loss, a quarter hit, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. It was the best game of his career thus far, and he almost single-handedly kept the Rams alive in a game that they never looked fully competitive in.
Verse could have taken the opportunity to celebrate a coming out party on the NFL stage, but that wouldn’t be in his nature. Instead, he focused on what he could have done better and why he doesn’t celebrate good performances, according to Wyatt Miller of TheRams.com:
“I’ll never be satisfied with the way I play,” Verse said postgame. “I think there were definitely a couple plays here and there that I could have made if I did a little bit more.”
While Verse absolutely would have been within his rights to celebrate the game he had, it shows the type of player he is that he didn’t. Verse is always focused on the next challenge and ensuring that he continues his growth as a player.
This is the type of mentality that the Rams knew he had when they drafted him with their first first-round pick since Jared Goff. And the first defensive selection they made following the retirement of Aaron Donald. He is expected to be an anchor of this defense for many years, and moments like this are a perfect start to that trajectory.
Les Snead praises Jared Verse and Braden Fiske
Aaron Donald’s retirement left a massive hole on the Rams’ defensive line, but the team has received tremendous contributions from rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.
Verse and Fiske were selected by the Rams in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Florida State, where they wreaked havoc on quarterbacks.
The dynamic duo is now making their presence felt at the NFL level.
“We drafted them to bring an element of disruption from the front four or front five, depending on whether you’re in base, nickel, all those things,” Rams general manager Les Snead said.
“To keep it simple, we drafted them to help us disrupt and I think they’re doing their part in helping us disrupt opposing offenses.”
