How Raiders helped Rams draft a potential superstar

Rookie phenom Jared Verse looks to be running away with the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year title this season

The Los Angeles Rams were desperately trying to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft to take TE Brock Bowers, but a Las Vegas Raiders decision to not trade down with LA and take Bowers themselves may have helped the Rams actually make a better pick overall.

Rookie OLB Jared Verse out of Florida State has been phenomenal for Los Angeles, but he was close to not being in horns at all. Coming into the draft, there was a plethora of reports that the Rams were trying to move up to select Bowers. This was confirmed post-draft, as multiple behind the scenes videos have been released showing Sean McVay calling not just the Raiders, but also the Minnesota Vikings, in an attempt to move up for the tight end out of Georgia.

That did not happen, as Minnesota wanted a QB and the Raiders had intentions of drafting Bowers themselves. This left Los Angeles to take the next best player on their board, which luckily happened to be Verse.

Obviously hindsight is 20/20, and to his credit Bowers has been by far the best part of the Raiders offense this season totaling 57 catches, 580 yards and two touchdowns, but the Rams having to pivot and take Verse may have changed the course of their defensive success for the foreseeable future, scoring them a potential cornerstone franchise player.

Verse has 33 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass batted down on the season, he also currently leads all rookies with 31 pressures. It’s not just about the stats though, as Verse has become a leader on defense just eight games into his first year with the team. He is an emotional, vocal player already well known league wide for constantly taunt opposing players and backing it up with his play. He’s not just beating veteran offensive lineman, he’s dominating them.

Verse also sports a fantastic 82.8 overall grade on PFF, including a 77.8 rating for his pass rushing and a 75.0 for his run defense. There are plenty of games left, but many have penciled him in as the Rookie Defensive Player of the Year already.

The Raiders decision to take Bowers, allowing the Rams to select Verse, also had a domino effect on the rest of LA’s draft selections. Due to Los Angeles getting the edge rusher, they most-likely felt more compelled to select his teammate FSU’s Braden Fiske to pair with him. While it’s not a given that the Rams weren’t planning on taking Fiske in the second round either way, it may have played a factor in their decision to trade a future 2025 second round pick to move up and get him.

While Fiske has been slightly more quiet than Verse, he too is having a very good rookie year and also looks like a lynchpin player on the defensive line going forward. Eight games into the season, Fiske has 26 tackles, three sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. He also has 21 pressures of his own, making him second only to Verse among all rookies.

The Rams have completely rebuilt the defensive line this offseason after the retirement of future NFL Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. Naturally, many thought LA would take a step back defensively with the loss of Donald, however using a strong rotation to help fill the void left by his departure, the Rams may have actually found a way to improved their ability to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Los Angeles will return home to Sofi to take on the 2-6 Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, giving Verse and Fiske a chance to show during a nationally televised game why the Rams made the right decision to take them back in April.