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Rams land exciting edge rusher in Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock draft

cameron dasilva
·2 min read
5

The Los Angeles Rams exceeded expectations in 2023, but there are still areas where the team must improve before next season. One of the Rams’ top needs this offseason is edge rusher where Byron Young and Michael Hoecht played the majority of the snaps this past season.

It’s possible the Rams will address that hole in free agency, but even if they do, it would be wise of Les Snead and Sean McVay to select an edge rusher early in the draft, too. That’s exactly what ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has the Rams doing in the first round, landing Florida State standout Jared Verse at No. 19 overall.

Verse is considered one of the top pass rushers in the 2024 class after recording 18 sacks and 29.5 tackles for a loss in two seasons with the Seminoles, so this is a terrific value at No. 19. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com had Verse going ninth overall in his first mock draft, Dane Brugler of The Athletic mocked him to the Saints at No. 14 in his mock and Bucky Brooks of NFL.com pegged him to the Vikings at No. 11.

Here’s what Kiper wrote about Verse in his initial mock draft of 2024.

Verse was inconsistent in his two seasons at Florida State, but there’s no doubting his talent and 6-foot-4, 253-pound frame. He put up 18 sacks and 81 pressures from 2022-23, with 50 of those pressures coming last season. That’s the pass-rush improvement I hoped to see before the season. His next step is creating more turnovers, as he had just one forced fumble for the Seminoles.

At 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, Verse would bring good size and length to the Rams’ outside linebacker spot in their 3-4 front. He’s also an impressive athlete who should test well at the combine in February, given the way he jumps off the screen when watching Florida State’s defense.

Not only is he athletic, but he’s also powerful when rushing off the edge, as seen in the clip below where he walks the left tackle into the quarterback’s lap.

Young should remain a starter next season for the Rams, but he could use a new running mate on the other side after Hoecht put together an up-and-down year filled with lapses in coverage and missed tackles.

Verse would give the Rams a second young edge rusher to build around, filling one of their biggest roster holes for the upcoming offseason.

Story originally appeared on Rams Wire