The Los Angeles Rams picked in the first round of the draft for the first time since 2016, and they might have struck gold with their pick.
The Rams selected pass rusher Jared Verse at 19th overall. Verse was one of the best pass rushers in this draft class and finished the 2023 season with 52 pressures and eight sacks with the Florida State Seminoles.
That production seems likely to translate to the NFL as well. ESPN analytics guru Seth Walder built a sack model that projects Verse to be one of the most productive rookies in terms of sacks from the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Results from my prospect sack model!
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) May 15, 2024
This model forecasts the number of sacks a player will record over the first three seasons in their career. pic.twitter.com/HcbbnTirFX
13 sacks does seem to be a lowball for him, but this is a generic prediction. Robert Quinn posted 15.5 sacks in his first two seasons. Verse will be an automatic starter for the team, and I wouldn't be surprised if he eclipsed 13 sacks by his second year.
Still, it's good to see that the numbers do back up the film on Verse. He is the kind of player that the Rams can build their defense around, and should be a force multiplier for them up front.