Rams Reacts Results: Fans overwhelmingly approve of LA’s first round selection

The team filled a big defensive need with the first round selection of Florida State’s Jared Verse.

The Los Angeles Rams filled a huge defensive need last Thursday, selecting Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse with the 19th overall pick, the team’s first opening round selection in eight years. With the departure of superstar Aaron Donald, as well as some depth pieces like Jonah Williams, the defensive line and pass rush, which was already a position that probably needed to be addressed this offseason, became an even more glaringly need.

Fans overwhelmingly approve of the Rams first round selection, with 80% of fans giving the team an A for the pick, and only 1% of fans giving a grade of a C or lower.

It makes complete sense that the fan base is happy with the move, as edge rusher has been an issue for the team since the loss of Von Miller and Leonard Floyd. The team found a star last year in edge rusher Byron Young, and now have a first-round talent to pair along with him.

It also helps that Verse was projected to be a top-10 talent by some NFL media members. A run on quarterbacks helped him fall to the Rams, as no defensive players were picked until 15th overall pick when the Indianapolis Colts selected UCLA DE Laiatu Latu. Verse had 164 tackles, 31.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and three forced fumbles over 39 games at Albany and FSU. He’s recorded at least nine sacks in his last three seasons, and for a team with a pressure need, that could be a big help.

In addition, the Rams also added defensive tackle Braden Fiske, former FSU teammate of Verse, to help fill the middle with defensive rookie-of-the-year nominee Kobie Turner. While LA is not going to be able to replace Aaron Donald’s singular impact on a game, the team may have found a completely different way to still have success defensively built upon a completely retooled secondary that includes Tre White, Darious Williams and Kam Curl, as well as the potential ability to get more pressure from the outside than in years past.

The Rams defense, built of relatively unknown players and rookies, was better than many expected in 2023, but still had some struggles, specifically in the secondary. The new defensive additions via free agency and the draft should lead to the Rams secondary and pass rush being much improved heading into the 2024 season.

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