The LA Rams worst kept secret is about to become the NFL's worst case scenario

Let's talk about the devastation that is about to be unleashed on the NFL for just one moment.

All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald is retired. And with him goes the focus of offensive coordinators and offensive linemen. When teams had the LA Rams on the schedule, the conversation was predictable: How to stop Aaron Donald?

The LA Rams knew that they had to find some way to reinforce a depleted defensive front. Even with the selection of two rising stars in the 2023 NFL Draft in NT Kobie Turner and OLB Byron Young, the retirement of All-Pro defensive linemen Aaron Donald wiped away those gaines from 2023, and forced the team into an even larger deficit for the 2024 NFL season.

But help would soon be on the way.

For the LA Rams, the defense was the primary concern as the team focused on the 2024 NFL Draft. While we all witnessed the Rams attempts to maneuver and jockey for position to move up on the draft board to make selections for either Georgia TE Brock Bowers or Texas DT Byron Murphy II, the team ultimately did manage to trade to move up in the board.

Perhaps as often is the case, they simply needed to have the right level of conviction and motivation to do so. After the team surprisingly was able to select Florida State OLB Jared Verse with the 19th overall selection in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft (I had him projected to be selected among the Top 10 in the draft), the team did ultimately trade up from their 52nd to the 36th overall pick to select another Florida State defender, DT Braden Fiske.

The Rams had not only managed to select two of the top defenders in the 2024 NFL Draft, but they managed to select two teammates and good friends, and in the process, capture their collegiate friendship and chemistry in order to graft it all in its entirety into the team's defense.

But hype, projections, potential, and possibilities are over. Now, it's about going to work. What better time to discuss that then Labor Day weekend?

Braden Fiske working to earn trust Rams gave him in draft selection

Let's not start at the beginning with this one. You see, the story may chronologically begin in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, but the magic began in Round 2. The Rams were clearly dealing with the Baskin Robbins syndrome in that first round, aiming for the potential to select Georgia TE Brock Bowers, then to select Texas DT Byron Murphy II. But fate stepped in, no team was willing to trade back with the Rams, and so the team had to 'make do' at the 19th overall pick.

But when Round 2 came around, the Carolina Panthers, a team in need of draft ammo, was willing to trade back from the 39th to the 52nd overall picks. But to do so, they demanded a huge premium. The Rams would not only need to kick in one of their Round 5 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, but a Round 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Rams paused, pondered, and decided that was a fair price for this player to join the Rams roster.

And so, DT Braden Fiske followed his teammate and friend, OLB Jared Verse, to Los Angeles, California to join the LA Rams football team.

The investment of two Round 2 picks, plus a Round 5 pick, was shocking to many NFL Draft analysts. It was the value equated to a late Round 1 pick. While analysts limited their focus to the realm of picks alone, the Rams saw the potential of keeping two dominating collegiate defenders together and intact to join the NFL. And that, no matter what analysts failed to comprehend, made the trade completely worthwhile.

The second item of a two-piece set will always see its value rise rapidly. And so, the team was valuing the synergy of two Seminoles who had dominated in college football wreaking havoc in the professional ranks.

To some players, arriving to reinforce the defensive line after Aaron Donald retired might mean talk shows, red carpets, and sharing in a loud voice about what that player will do in the NFL. But not Braden Fiske. He was not about to tell anyone what he would do in his rookie season.

He would take the higher path. He would show them.

#DAWGWORK lives on in Fiske's work ethic

One of the most significant losses in 2024 from the LA Rams football team is former DL Coach and Defensive Run Game Coordinator Eric Henderson. He was instrumental in ensuring the team had a constant supply of talented young defensive linemen each season. He infused the #DAWGWORK mantra into them as soon as they arrived in the NFL. That mantra meant:

• Discipline
• Attitude
• Work-ethic
• Grit
• WORK

It is a simple but provocative mission statement, reminding defensive linemen that the glory of playmaking on game day requires the taxing daily grind of putting in the work to do so.

While Coach Henny is no longer aboard with the Rams coaching staff (He is wowing USC fans as their Assistant Defensive Coordinator/DL Coach), his teachings remain as permanent as the brick-and-mortar of SoFi Stadium. You can see how seriously Braden Fiske worked out in the offseason, even before he showed up to compete with the Rams:

He drilled until he was exhausted, paused, and then worked once again, even more furiously and intensely. He was not getting into shape to impress his new coaches, or even his new teammates. He was getting into shape to make a positive impact for the Ramss in the 2024 NFL season.

Of course, he could not help but impress his teammates and coaches in the process.

Braden Fiske won't compete in 100 percent of the team's defensive snaps. He will be sharing defensive snaps in a rotation that will include Kobie Turner, Bobby Brown III, Desjuan Johnson, Tyler Davis, and Neville Gallimore. But when he steps onto the football field, you can bet that he will be ready.

I'm not convinced that offensive linemen whose task will be to block him will be.

Jared Verse already favored on DROY watch list, for good reason

It's okay for Rams fans to underestimate exactly who this team added in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. It was the first time that fans have had cause to celebrate a first-round talent addition to the roster since the team had drafted QB Jared Goff with the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

And eight years waiting to return to Day 1 of an NFL draft is a long time to wait.

But there is more to former Florida State Seminoles outside linebacker Jared Verse than meets the eye. Not only did the Rams make their first Round 1 selection in eight years, but Jared Verse was never supposed to be on the board when the team stepped up to make their 19th overall pick.

No matter which online NFL Mock Draft application I used, I could never get Jared Verse to fall to the Rams at 19. UCLA Edge Laiatu Latu might fall, which I attributed to his injury history. Alabama Edge Dallas Turner might fall, which I decided was because he was viewed as the third-best of three edge rushers. Jared Verse in almost every draft profile written had two qualities that others did not.

First of all, he was the most well-rounded and refined outside linebacker in the 2024 NFL Draft class. He had a body of work that was more than sacking opposing quarterbacks. He had example after example of taking on blockers to turn a play in, or to free up a teammate to make the play. But even more impressive was his power. But it's not just deadlift power. He has an explosive burst that rocks offensive linemen and puts them on their heels, even if they are much larger.

And he has that type of incredible energy-level that run high and hot, never letting up until the final whistle is blown. And that is the type of player who the Rams so desperately needed to add in 2024.

Verse and Fiske arrived in friendly competition

Perhaps the most attractive aspect of landing both Jared Verse and Braden Fiske together in the same draft class is the way friendly competition can remain such a powerful motivator for both players as they arrive to the NFL. Focus for rookies is difficult to achieve and sustain. That is not the case for the two rookies out of Florida State.

We had discussed the work ethic of Braden Fiske in an earlier slide. Fiske, realizing that the Rams had invested significant value, wanted to ensure that the team did not regret making that investment. But the motivation of Braden Fiske continues to keep Jared Verse working hard as well.

My best discipline at working out in the gym, running 3 miles daily around a golf course, and ending the workout with a 30 minute sauna cool down, occured when I was working out with a good friend. Invariably, one of us would ensure that the other did not take the day off.

That appears to be the situation with Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. Neither wants to miss out of the benefits of working out. So, they push one another harder and further than they would on their own.

And that is what the Rams imported out of Florida in the 2024 NFL Draft. They are not just two solid defenders. They are two self-motivated players who want to deliver the best versions of themselves on game day.

Rams have a trash-talker, and you'll love it

While you will notice rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske from his performance, you may rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse for other reasons as well. His work ethic is pretty impressive, but it pales in comparison to his revelry and chatty nature on the football field.

Yes, this Rams roster has prescribed leaders. The team voted DT Kobie Turner and DB Quentin Lake as team captains on the defense. And it's likely that veteran inside linebacker Troy Reeder will wear the green dot, designating that he will call the defensive plays in the huddle. But there are other ways to lead on a football field.

Jared Verse is an outspoken vocal leader on this defense. And the Rams fans will love what that entails.

Normally, I'm not a fan of a guy who spends so much attention at telling you what he is going to do that he forgets what to do after the football is snapped. But that is not what Jared Verse is about. He celebrates on the football field, but for good reason. His chatty persona on the football field serves two purposes. Like a standard raised on the field of battle, his cheering and urgings have a way of rallying his teammates around him. Think of it along the lines of an on-field motivational speaker.

But what makes him ultimately dangerous is that he says what he will do, and then does it. That type of dominance has a way of working against the focus of opponents, planting kernels of doubt, and forcing them to think about what they want to do. At that point, Verse has won.

But Jared Verse and his booming voice also serve as a lightning rod. It will be his persona, his will, his presence, and his booming voice on the football field, that will attract the attention of opposing offensive linemen. Everyone will want a chance to block Verse and stop him from making plays. And that will free up a host of other players to make plays.

The LA Rams hit a gold mine in the 2023 NFL Draft, unleashing OLB Byron Young and NT Kobie Turner on the NFL, and generating a combined 17.0 quarterback sacks combined. I believe that the Rams duo of OLB Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske could match or surpass that performance this season.

But let's not kid ourselves. The LA Rams rookie duo of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske is the worst kept secret in the NFL. But their arrival as hungry rookies in 2024 is about to become the NFL's worst case scenario for opposing teams.

Thanks for reading.