When Aaron Donald announced his retirement from the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams knew they would need to address their defensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Despite reports that head coach Sean McVay would angle for an offensive player with the team’s first first-round pick in eight years, the Rams wound up staying put and taking Jared Verse at No. 19 overall. However, the team wasn’t done there as they also traded up in the second round to take Verse’s Florida State teammate Braden Fiske.
Verse and Fiske were one of the most dominant defensive lineman duos in college football last season and will bring their talents and chemistry to Los Angeles. It was a rare opportunity for a team like the Rams to reunite college teammates who were productive together.
L.A. also spent some additional draft capital building its defensive line depth as they also selected Tyler Davis out of Clemson with the 196th overall pick. Davis might be playing behind Verse and Fiske in 2024, but acknowledged how much he admired them from afar playing in the same conference, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“They some dogs. They some dogs,” Davis said. “I admired them from a distance, played against them. Just to be able to have those teammates, knowing that I’m definitely going to get better.”
Davis also expressed how much he’s looking forward to getting to know his new teammates:
“I think it’s going to create a lot of new relationships, just with us all going through the same stuff,” Davis said. “I can’t wait.”
Verse and Fiske aren’t the only ones reuniting with a former college teammate as Davis knows Davis Allen during their time together at Clemson. Los Angeles took Allen No. 175 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft and the tight end saw an expanded role down the stretch of the 2023 season behind Tyler Higbee.
The Rams’ revamped defensive line might be young, but by all accounts is full of players eager to prove themselves at the next level. With promising pieces like Byron Young and Kobie Turner already in place, the group has a chance to be the defense’s foundation for the foreseeable future.
Rams agree to four-year contract with Braden Fiske
Braden Fiske turned heads with his performance at the NFL Draft Combine, rocketing his stock so much that the Rams felt the need to aggressively trade up to get him. Los Angeles doubled down on its investment in Fiske as they signed him to a four-year rookie deal with over $7 million guaranteed.
