Jared Verse, Edge Florida State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Verse was a recruit from Central Columbia High School in Lime Ridge, Pa. in the class of 2019

We march on! With the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft behind us, it’s time to start looking ahead to next year. Florida State pass rusher Jared Verse has a chance to be the top edge taken in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Jared Verse, Edge Florida State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior defensive end from Dayton, Ohio

Background: Verse was a recruit from Central Columbia High School in Lime Ridge, Pa. in the class of 2019. He didn’t receive a star ranking or national ranking from any of the major recruiting outlets and didn’t receive a scholarship offer from an FBS school. Verse was a three-sport athlete in high school, participating in basketball, football, and track and field. As a high school senior, he caught 15 passes for 385 yards at tight end and tallied 14 tackles and three forced fumbles on defense. Verse won a state championship on the 4x400-meter relay team and also competed in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100-meter events. He was a three-time All-Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference (PHAC) athlete. Verse has three sisters (Aneira, Miyah, and Soleil) and two brothers (Aaron and Terrance). He transferred from Albany to Florida State in January of 2022.

Injuries & Off-Field: Left games against North Dakota State and Villanova with injuries in 2021 but didn’t miss a game, missed one game in 2023, limited in several games by nagging injuries

Awards: 2021 Second-Team All-Colonial Athletic Association, 2021 FCS Freshman All-American, 2021 Colonial Athletic Association Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year, 2022 First-Team All-ACC

Pros: Dominant despite a huge leap in competition, blocked field goal vs. LSU (2022), weight evenly distributed throughout frame, excellent linear speed, explosive off the line, stresses linemen vertically with speed, speed to shoot gaps, quick and choppy feet, lateral agility lets him blast through the B-gap or around the edge, attacks inside rush lanes, powerful hand swipes and swats, quick hands to counter, rip move, cross chop, swim move, flashes of speed to power, lateral agility is tough for linemen to mirror, quick acceleration when changing directions, flattens his rush arc to the quarterback, fires hands into lineman’s chest, fits hands coming from a low angle to establish leverage, hands pack pop, upper body strength to pull linemen off balance and zoom past them, lower body strength to play through contact while rushing up the arc, beat Matthew Bergeron in 2021 and 2022, improved block defeat technique from 2021 to 2022, motor runs hot, excellent pursuit range, speed, and closing burst, explosiveness to make plays as a backside run defender, handled QB-RB exchanges much better in 2022 than 2021, exceptional read option defender, separates from blocks and redirects to the football, improved sustaining the point of attack from 2021 to 2022

Cons: Seven penalties in the past two years, nagging injuries in 2022, arm length appears to be acceptable but not exceptional, too lean for a 4-3 defensive end, limited stop-start agility, takes him a moment to change directions, slides off tackles, occasionally allows tackles into his chest because of inconsistent hand usage, reps where his pad level rises too high, bend is average at best, powerful tackles can knock him back with full extensions, speed to power conversion is inconsistent, fewer examples of successful bull rushes in 2022 than 2021, power profile is lacking especially in run defense, offers nothing against double teams, still needs to improve strength at the point of attack

Overview: Despite the jump from Albany to Florida State, Verse was a dominant pillar for the Seminoles in 2022. He primarily lined up as a 5-tech in either a two or three-point stance. Verse doesn’t have too much mass on his frame, but his weight is evenly distributed. His linear speed and explosiveness off the line are high-end traits. His speed allows him to stress tackles vertically or shoot gaps. The redshirt junior is well versed on inside counters to attack the B-gap when linemen overset in fear of his speed. As a pass rusher, Verse uses powerful swipes and swats. His hands are quick and pack plenty of pop. He turns to rip moves, cross chops, swims, and speed to power to defeat tackles. Verse’s lateral agility is tough to mirror. He flattens his rush arc to the quarterback but doesn’t have elite bend. Verse’s pad level is sometimes a problem, but he adjusts by fitting his hands from low angles to re-establish leverage. The Ohio native has the upper body strength to pull linemen off balance and the lower body strength to play through contact while rushing up the arc. He beat Matthew Bergeron several times in 2021 and 2022 and also has film against Richard Gouraige, Cody Mauch, Jordan McFadden, and DJ Scaife Jr. Verse’s motor is always running hot. He has excellent pursuit range, speed, and closing burst. The transfer improved his block defeat technique, read option recognition, and ability to sustain the point of attack from 2021 to 2022. Verse makes plays as a backside run defender and separates from blocks to redirect to the football. He battled nagging lower body injuries throughout 2022. Verse’s arm length appears to be acceptable but not exceptional. He’s too lean to play 4-3 defensive end and lacks elite bend. The All-ACC defender slides off tackle attempts frequently. He doesn’t have elite stop-start agility or change of direction skills. Inconsistent hand usage and pad level sometimes invite tackles into Verse’s chest. His bull rush and speed to power conversion were more inconsistent in 2022 than 2021. Larger tackles have success controlling Verse with power and knocking him off his arc. He still needs to improve his play strength and recognition as a run defender.

Overall, Verse is an explosive and agile edge rusher who is still refining his hand usage and leverage but is already developing a dynamic pass rush arsenal. Verse’s average bend, scheme-specific profile, and streaky play in run defense could prevent him from being a consensus first round projection.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme

Round Projection: Mid First to Early Second

Size: 6'4", 248 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 03-27-23