Baldy's Breakdowns raves about Seminoles package-deal on Rams defense

In the NFL, even the most elite players get by with a little help from their friends. As such, the LA Rams strategized more than selecting individual rookie prospects during the 2024 NFL Draft. Rather, the team sought to capitalize on that magical team chemistry to ensure that their defense would get a jump start for the 2024 NFL season.

Of course, the selection of a pair of defensive front players from the same college football program is itself a rather limiting aspect. After all, how many colleges truly boasted two defenders on their defensive front who both held outstanding chances to succeed at the next level? When I did my informal research, I found:

1. Florida State Seminoles OLB Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske
2. Penn State Nittany Lions OLBs Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac
3. Alabama Crimson Tide OLB Dallas Turner and DT Justin Eboigbe
4. UCLA Bruins OLBs Laiatu Latu and Gabriel Murphy
5. Texas Longhorns DTs Byron Murphy II and T'Vondre Sweat

Of the group, the most highly regarded pair came down to the two defenders from the Florida State Seminoles and the two defensive linemen from the Texas Longhorns. But defensive tackle Byron Murphy II was selected by the Seattle Seahawks before the Rams ever had a chance to step up to the podium, which eliminated any chance for the team to double dip from that defense.

But let's not give anyone the wrong impression that the Rams had to settle for some version of consolation prize in this draft. On many draft boards, OLB Jared Verse was the top-rated edge rusher for multiple reasons. He was the complete package in terms of possessing all of the traits for the role at the NFL level. He was physically intimidating, standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 254 pounds. And he had a passionate perspective about the game.

In fact, Rams Head Coach Sean McVay proclaimed adding both Jared Verse and Braden Fiske in the 2024 NFL Draft a 'dream scenario.' Curiously, he made that statement long before the Rams traded up to select Braden Fiske.

Best of all, there were no huge medical flags that could limit his NFL career.

His teammate, DT Braden Fiske was projected as a Round 1-2 tweener. He was also incredibly powerful and productive as well and maintained a huge physical presence on the Seminoles' defensive front. Best of all, he was a passionate player who would often meet Verse and study videos before his coaches or teammates would arrive in the morning.

Both Jared Verse and Braden Fiske excelled for the Seminoles. But, could they import that same magical connection in the NFL?

Baldy's Breakdowns highlight chemical reaction of Rams rookie due

I truly appreciate the insights and breakdown of football plays by NFL Insider and analyst, Brian Baldinger. Steeped in football knowledge, Baldy spends less time trying to prove how much more he knows about football that is audience, and simply celebrates the players and plays that he features is his reviews.

Unlike many NFL analysts, Brian Baldinger assesses the Rams draft results by the quality and fit of the rookie players added, not by the cost of adding them to the roster. As such, he does not bemoan the action taken by the team's front office to trade up in the 2024 NFL Draft to select DT Braden Fiske with the 39th overall pick in the draft. Rather, he applauds the Rams for identifying and acting on the high-reward effort to land the pair of dominating defenders from Florida State's highly respected collegiate defense.

I have seldom seen Brian Baldinger dabble in collegiate football analysis in the past, but he certainly gets right to it by featuring Rams Verse and Fiske in a series of video clips that highlights just how effective these two can be on the same team. This pair shares an instinctive understanding of one another, and create natural and organic stunts where one player sacrifices himself to take on blockers while the other pursues the quarterback.

And the results are very impressive indeed:

Baldy showcases numerous twist stunts executed with nearly textbook precision by Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. Throughout his breakdown, Baldinger showcases how each player launches himself into the path of blockers to free up his teammate. And they do it without hesitation or reluctance. In essence, both defenders exhibit the type of professional humility that allows them to willingly take on the less glamorous but vital role to enable his teammate to make the play.

That is the stuff that coaches love to see.

Why is this 'chemistry' so vital to Rams defense?

As soon as I mention the 'Aaron Donald effect,' anyone and everyone who has been a fan of the LA Rams for the past ten years instantly recognizes what that means and has meant to this team and defense. But in the unlikely event that you are a new reader of Ramblin Fan, or don't recognize the team, I can explain. The Aaron Donald effect is the patterned uptick in edge rushers' production by playing on this defense alongside Aaron Donald.

Because Aaron Donald was so good at what he did and commanded a lot of attention from offensive coordinators, quarterbacks, and offensive linemen, he often drew two, three, and even four blockers on any given play. As a result, many defenders would only face one blocker who stood in their way to sacking the quarterback. As a result, many players who ultimately signed lucrative contracts with new teams have Aaron Donald to thank for making them independently wealthy.

Unfortunately, Donald's retirement means that offensive coordinators, quarterbacks, and offensive linemen no longer need to fixate on Aaron Donald on the Rams defense. That could spell difficulty to those players who are less able to handle double team blocking in the NFL.

But that may not be a problem with the combination of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.

As you witnessed in the Baldy's Breakdown video above, Verse and Fiske have developed stunts to thwart and overcome double-teams, and did not need Aaron Donald on the football field to do that. In essence, the front office has clipped a pulverizing pair from the Seminoles defense, and grafted them into the LA Rams defensive front.

And based on reports out of OTAs, the duo has already been demonstrating that ability to dominate up front. That is not just good news for the team and fans, but it is vital to ensure the Rams defense remains competitive in 2024.

Or as Brian Baldinger so eloquently puts it:

"(I) Cant wait to watch these 2 on Sundays"

NFL Insider Brian Baldinger

And in all honesty, neither can I. Thanks for reading