Jared Verse is rapidly emerging as a key defensive force for the Los Angeles Rams. On Wednesday, ESPN analyst Ben Solak described Verse's impact, noting his "T.J. Watt-esque" presence on the Rams defense.
For Solak, Verse is one of the 20 important second-year defenders in the NFL.
"Verse already has a T.J. Watt-esque impact on the Rams defense," Solak wrote. "You can't run the ball in his direction and have to find a way to misdirect or avoid him to get your running game going."
Solak then touched upon what the edge rusher has to do to join the elite ranks of the league's top defenders.
"Should Verse translate his play-finishing ability from the running game to the passing game, he'd vault into the elite echelon of edge rushers in the NFL," Solak said. "On any given week, his name will belong next to Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett and Watt. Simple as that."
With the Rams defense already bolstered by Verse's run-stopping dominance, the next step for the young edge rusher is to add consistent sack production. He only had 4.5 sacks in his rookie season.
The Rams selected Verse with the 19th pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The team's decision to invest in a defensive player paid off, as Verse won the 2024 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Now, he has to refine the areas where he showed room for growth last season.