5 sensational selections that the Rams made in 2024 NFL Draft
By Bret Stuter
I: Seminoles surplus
The Florida State Seminoles finished their 2023 NCAA football season with a perfect record of 13-0. But they did so despite losing starting quarterback Jordan Travis to injury for the final three games of their season. In the three games without Travis under center, the FSU defense allowed an average of 11.3 points per game. Perhaps the toughest victory came as the Seminoles traveled to take on the Florida Gators, winning by a score of 24-15. Here are OLB Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske in the post-game press conference:
The Seminoles defense, led by Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, was the nation's sixth-ranked college defense in terms of points allowed. But when it comes to quarterback sacks, Florida State jumps up into third-place, getting 45 quarterback sacks in 2023. Verse and Fiske accounted for 15 of those sacks, or 33.3 percent of them.
The LA Rams are getting better and better at selecting young talent. Now, the team is not only drafting players, but are grafting pre-established chemistry as well. Will it help fast-track the development of the team's top-two drafted rookies? How can it hurt? OLB Byron Young and NT Kobie Turner bonded instantly during the Rams 2023 training camp, and that chemistry triggered a friendly competition that resulted in the rookie duo combining for 17.0 quarterback sacks. That is a staggering number for two rookies
With any luck, a lot of care, and a bit of prodding, the team hopes to manufacture similar results in 2024 with the combination of OLB Jared Verse and DL Braden Fiske as well. If the team can deliver similar results, the defensive pass rush will be formidable once more. And with the combination of such young players, the team will have a shot of dominating for the next three or four years.
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