After seeing how impactful Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Byron Young and Steve Avila all were last season, the Los Angeles Rams can only hope to get similar production from their incoming class of rookies. Expecting to have Rookie of the Year candidates on both sides of the ball is unrealistic, but the Rams hope Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Blake Corum and the other seven rookies in their 2024 class can step up and become key contributors this year.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter has high expectations for Verse and Fiske, picking both of them for his projected 2024 NFL All-Rookie Team. The Rams are the only team with two defensive players on Reuter’s All-Rookie Team, which shows how highly the analyst things of the two Florida State defenders.
Rams 2023 third-round picks Kobie Turner and Byron Young were selected to last season’s NFL.com All-Rookie Team after earning nine and eight sacks, respectively. Verse and Fiske will be another dynamic duo, bolstering a team effort in replacing future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. Verse will overpower and outhustle tackles on the outside to post at least seven sacks, while Fiske should benefit from single-block situations inside thanks to his workmanlike effort in run support and on third down.
The biggest question for both Verse and Fiske – as well as the Rams’ other pass rushers – is whether they can beat double-teams without Donald drawing so much attention from opposing offensive linemen. Donald attracted so many double- and triple-teams during his time in the NFL that it gave the Rams’ edge rushers one-on-one matchups.
Obviously, Verse and Fiske never played alongside Donald, but they won’t benefit from his greatness the way many others such as Young, Turner, Dante Fowler Jr. and Leonard Floyd did.
The fact that the Rams kept the two former Seminoles on the same defense bodes well for both players because they were so good as teammates last season, absolutely dominating the game against Louisville to win the ACC title. Both should be considered Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates in 2024.