Florida State’s Jared Verse has been one of the best defensive players in college football over the past couple of seasons and is looked at by scouts as a guy who should be able to come in and start immediately in the NFL.
At 6’4” and 254 pounds, Verse is extremely strong, but he’s also a terrific athlete. At the NFL Combine, he ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash.
Where Did Jared Verse’s Football Career Start?
Robinson played his high school football at Central Columbia High School in Berwick, Penn.
In high school, Verse didn’t just play on the defensive side of the ball; he was also a tight end. During his senior season, Verse had 14 tackles and three forced fumbles. On offense, he had 15 catches for 385 yards.
Verse wasn’t an extremely sought-after prospect. He didn’t have all those offers that some of the top prospects in the NFL Draft had. Verse started his collegiate career at Albany, with the Great Danes being the only school to offer the then-6’3″, 200-pound undersized player.
Revisiting Verse’s College Career
Albany
Verse redshirted his first season but made 22 tackles with 10 tackles for loss and four sacks in only four games in 2020. He was named the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Rookie of the Year and was also named second-team All-CAA.
Yet, it was Verse’s second season where he really took off. He finished with 53 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, and 9.5 sacks. After being named first-team All-CAA, Verse decided to enter the transfer portal.
MORE: Top EDGEs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Florida State
Verse announced that he would be continuing his collegiate career at Florida State, where he showed the potential to play on Sundays.
In 2022, Verse had 48 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and nine sacks for the Seminoles. He was also named first-team All-ACC.
Is Jared Verse the next #NFLDraft first round defensive lineman out of FSU?
CFB Live Blog: https://t.co/LXPH5piOFMpic.twitter.com/mAF6q245xu
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 1, 2022
Last year, Verse once again put up big numbers, finishing with 41 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, and nine sacks — again named first-team All-ACC.
In the regular-season finale against Florida, Verse played one of the best games of his career, finishing with 2.5 sacks and six tackles in the win.
Verse’s Potential in the NFL
Verse’s athleticism and speed off the snap are elite, causing a ton of stress and issues for opposing offensive linemen. But if there is a negative on Verse, it’s that he doesn’t have elite mass or length.
Going up against offensive linemen over 300 pounds who are around 6’6” or 6’7” can be an issue for Verse.
PFN draft analyst Ian Cummings had Verse as his top EDGE heading into last season, and he still believes he’s a top-three threat in this class at the position.
“Not only has Verse shown that he can employ his traits in tandem to generate awesome amounts of power, but he can also work off of power exertions, multitask while prying around blocks, and manipulate blockers one-on-one with his hyperactive twitch, control, and patience,” Cummings said.
“A need for more consistency on second and third counter attempts is the only thing keeping Verse from being an elite hand-fighter, and he’s surely one of the best technicians in the 2024 NFL Draft EDGE group.”
MORE: Ian Cummings’ Full Scouting Report of Jared Verse
Verse’s Highlights, Records, and More
Since he wasn’t receiving offer after offer in high school, Verse’s football journey is different from most. A big reason was the fact that he was undersized, which forced him to play a smaller level of college football.
During his time at Albany, Verse was named second-team All-CAA in his freshman season, as well as Defensive Rookie of the Year. He followed that up, being named first-team All-CAA the following season.
After transferring to Florida State, this is where Verse became a household name. At FSU, he was first-team All-ACC in both seasons he was there.
Verse also made third-team All-American in the end-of-season CFN awards, along with first-team All-ACC defense. In addition, Verse was both the EDGE Defender of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year in the ACC.
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