Jared Verse was among the best defensive ends in college football for the Noles in 2022 and 2023. It's why he was the No. 19 overall pick for the LA Rams in the 2024 NFL Draft.
However, Ram fans probably didn't understand what they were getting when they drafted Verse.
He went on to amass 65 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 18 QB hits, and over 44 QB hurries(top 10 in the NFL).
Those stats are why he has been named to the NFL Pro Bowl in his rookie season.
A special talent.
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 2, 2025
Congrats to @JaredVerse1 on making the Pro Bowl in his rookie season! 👏 pic.twitter.com/iamF0JShJF
The crazy part is Verse is doing the same things to NFL offensive linemen, that he did to college offensive linemen while at FSU. His speed to power bullrush is nearly unstoppable and he'll only get better as he continues to add tools to his game.
Verse continues a long line of FSU defensive ends with productive NFL careers. Jermaine Johnson, Brian Burns, DeMarcus Walker, and Josh Sweat come to mind in recent years.
It's likely his teammate and former FSU defensive tackle Braden Fiske will make the Pro Bowl as a rookie as well. It's more evidence of how great that 2023 FSU defense was and why it was a travesty they didn't get to perform in the College Football Playoffs.
However, it's funny in hindsight, how all of the talking heads who wanted to keep FSU out of the College Football Playoffs look crazy a year later, as everyone has become hip to how the media bias at ESPN tries to control narratives.
Congrats to Jared Verse on a great rookie season and making the NFL Pro Bowl!