NFL teams’ need for pass rushers might be at an all-time high ahead of this year’s NFL Draft.
Does this mean Jared Verse will be highly coveted? Here are the details involving the high-profile edge rusher.
How Tall Is Jared Verse?
The ideal defensive end or pass rusher towers above 6’3″.
Verse meets that requisite height for teams. He was measured at 6’3 7/8″ ahead of the draft.
This means he’s teetering more towards the 6’4″ range — allowing him to match up well with tight ends who block him and tackles who aim to contain him.
How Much Does Verse Weigh?
Even with his height, is Verse’s weight becoming a concern?
Verse is currently listed at 254 pounds. Even at the preps level, he was always near the 250-pound mark.
While starring for Central Columbia High in Dayton, Ohio, Verse weighed in at 247 pounds and was considered a towering rusher even then. From a size perspective, there isn’t much to be concerned about.
How Old Is Verse?
Most prospects in this class have hit the age of 21. Is Verse one of them?
He’s actually one of the older defenders entering the draft, at 23 years old.
MORE: Top EDGEs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Verse was born Nov. 4, 2000, in Dayton. He also holds the distinction of being one of the few prospects who have strong game film at two different universities.
What School Did Verse Go To?
Verse experienced the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and Power Five conference levels.
He began his career at Albany as an under-recruited defender. He went on to play 15 games in two seasons and tallied 75 total tackles, including 47 solo stops. But in 2021, he established himself as one of the FCS’s top pass rushers by snatching 9.5 sacks.
He took the leap of faith to the P5 ranks and landed at Florida State. Tallahassee was where Verse emerged as a household name in college football by showcasing his pass-rushing talents.
Revisiting Verse’s College Career
Verse emerged as a consistent nine-sack producer for FSU. That includes the Seminole’s undefeated regular season run in 2023 that included an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
Verse raised his game up a notch against upper-competition foes in his transition from the Great Danes to the ‘Noles. In his first game against an SEC opponent, Verse recorded 2.5 sacks against LSU in FSU’s 24-23 win. And the quarterback he sacked that day? Future Heisman Trophy winner and potential top-five pick Jayden Daniels.
The former FCS defender then delivered four multi-sack efforts in 2023. All were against P5 foes — Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Florida, and Louisville.
Verse totaled 89 total tackles, including 45 solo stops and 29 tackles for a loss. He also used his long arms to break up three passes.
Verse’s Potential in the NFL
Verse, again, bet on himself by proving he can go from a lower level of NCAA Division I football and become just as dominant in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
Is it enough to turn him into a first-round talent?
PFN draft analyst Ian Cummings calls him one of the top contenders for the best edge rusher ahead of the draft. Cummings cites Verse’s explosive first step after the snap and “high-octane” athleticism as what makes the one-time Seminole a prized prospect.
“Jared Verse grades out as an early-to-mid Round 1 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was my preliminary EDGE1 heading into the 2023 season, and he remains a top-three prospect at the EDGE position, and a Top 20 talent overall,” Cummings wrote.
KEEP READING: Ian Cummings’ Full Scouting Report of Jared Verse
Cummings doesn’t see any scenario where Verse falls out of the first 32 picks of the draft.
“Verse has the combined burst, motor, strength, force capacity, and violence in his game to be a high-level two-phase disruptor, and he’s easily worthy of Round 1 capital,” Cummings said.
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