This Rams rookie is making a strong case for DROY, but one thing is missing

When the LA Rams finally settled in to select Florida State OLB rookie prospect Jared Verse with the team's 19th overall pick in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, it was both pleasing and surprising. In many mock drafts done up to that point, Verse was always off the board among the top 10 selections in the draft. But, thanks to the abundance of quarterbacks, wide receivers, and offensive linemen on the draft board, Verse fell to the team at 19. It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise, as he was considered by many draft scouts to be the best overall edge rusher available.

Now, after six games have been played this season, Verse is putting all of that potential into production. Well, in quarterback pressures at least:

The thing is though, that Verse is not alone. While the young Rams corps of pass rushers is still finding the range on quarterback sacks, this group is outstanding for creating havoc in the pocket and forcing quarterbacks to speed up their throws. In fact, the Rams pass rushers are not simply doing well in terms of the rookie class of 2024. This group is comparing quite favorably to well-established veterans in the NFL so far.

That includes OLB Jared Verse, OLB Byron Young, and DT Braden Fiske:

The only problem is that the Rams defense has only recorded 11 quarterback sacks in six games. That works out to less than two sacks per game. And Jared Verse, despite his phenomenal rate of pressuring the quarterback, has just one sack to his credit so far this season.

Of course, if you are trying to be objective, you have to understand that two Verse sacks came off the board thanks to defensive penalties by his teammates. So his total does not reflect just how effective he has been impacting games.

But DROY is not as objective as we may like. We know from 2023 that NT Kobie Turner was the clear standout front-runner for DROY honors. But Houston Texans rookie OLB Will Anderson walked away with the honors. So it's not just about production, but perception and projections as well.

Right now, the LA Rams at 2-4 are not making much of a case to honor any players on the roster. And despite his relentless pressure, just 1.0 quarterback sacks for Jared Verse does not compel DROY voters to write his name in quite yet. But the season is quite young, and there are 11 more games to go. If Jared Verse continues his quest to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks, he will compile more than enough evidence to earn DROY honors this season.

And he may help the team to win some games along the way as well.

Thanks for reading.

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