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NFL experts latest 2024 NFL redraft holds very bad news for the LA Rams

What might have been is not good news for the LA Rams rookie class of 2024

ByBret Stuter|
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the crowd with Eminem and the Detroit Lions' Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Aidan Hutchinson, and Hall of Famers Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders on the stage before Round 1 of the NFL draft on April 25, 2024, in Detroit.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the crowd with Eminem and the Detroit Lions' Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Aidan Hutchinson, and Hall of Famers Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders on the stage before Round 1 of the NFL draft on April 25, 2024, in Detroit. | Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Why Verse set the stage for the Fiske pick

The LA Rams 2023 rookie tandem of NT Kobie Turner and OLB Byron Young were outstanding in their first season. Despite hearing their names called out in Round 3, the pair quickly bonded, and their camaraderie allowed them to push one another to an optimal level. After nine games, they had combined for:

  • 7 quarterback sacks
  • 73 tackles
  • 4 tackles for a loss
  • 17 quarterback hits

When the LA Rams selected Florida State DT Braden Fiske with the 39th overall pick, I asserted that the combination of Verse and Fiske would rival the rookie production of Turner and Young. So let's see how they compare after nine games:

  • 7.5 quarterback sacks
  • 63 tackles
  • 15 tackles for a loss
  • 17 quarterback hits

Comparable? Yes. In fact, you could argue that despite their disadvantage in terms of total tackles, the rookie pairing of Fiske/Verse is well ahead of their teammates pace set one year earlier. So, why does this even matter? Why are we comparing apples and oranges?

The proof of comparative scenarios is a common tactic in projecting into uncertainty. Assessors, tasked with forecasting the values of homes, cite recently sold properties of similar size and communities to base their projections. So to do mathematics and sciences trend the plot of a graph to project into the unknown realms of a formula.

So using the experience of Kobie Turner and Byron Young's rookie season to project the entire rookie season of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske is simply solid scientific method. So what does it tell us? Well, Turner and Young's totals for 2023 fall out as:

  • 17.0 quarterback sacks
  • 118 tackles
  • 16 tackles for a loss
  • 35 quarterback hits

So where can you reasonably expect Jared Verse and Braden Fiske to end up at the end of the 2024 NFL season?

  • 18.5 quarterback sacks
  • 105 tackles
  • 32 tackles for a loss
  • 36 quarterback hits

Those are outstanding numbers for a pair of rookies who are competing against the top offensive linemen in the NFL. And it's not only due to their individual talent, but aided by the same bond of friendship and friendly competition that powered both Turner and Young to optimal production. The Rams front office instantly assessed what made Kobie Turner and Byron Young so effective in 2023, and applied that lesson to their 2024 NFL Draft.

With the Rams success in the 2024 NFL Draft, I am eager to see how well the team drafts in 2025.

As always, thank you for reading.

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