Prospect Profile: Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State

Context

Plays outside as mostly the 7 or 9 technique, saw lots of protection schemed against him in ’23.

Pass Rush

His get-off is excellent no matter the situation. As with most elite pass rushers, there’s an extra gear of danger reserved for obvious passing situations from a wide 9 alignment and three point stance, when all the conditions are perfect, but he doesn’t need it to be to have a consistently very good first step. He wins with his vertical explosion which is scary, and his processing, which is also very good, allows this to be consistently deployed to gain ground quickly at the start of the rep. He has the beginnings of a very good rush plan. He is patient, marries his feet with his hands and is expert at getting the OL to compromise the half-man relationship.

He has some go-to moves that work well for him, including a cross-chop and a long-arm. He also converts speed to power exceptionally well and can put Offensive Linemen in real trouble with this ability. That ability to go through or around an OL is good but you’d like to see more of an inside move developed and to work on effective counters when facing an OL with excellent play-strength who is able to reset and re-anchor after initially giving ground to him. This all is effective due to his outstanding use of hands – they’re not remarkably powerful but they are lightning fast, and impeccably timed in all situations. This excellence in his hand usage allows him to control the upper arm and the shoulder of the Offensive Lineman with alarming regularity and makes most potential moves prone to being successful.

He attacks with explosive strength and clears his hands quickly. He has solid bend and cornering ability when he gets to the edge and can quickly get free to the QB. He saw a lot of double teams with blockers lying in wait for him, or OL turning to his guy when looking for work, so it’s tough to effectively evaluate him off his numbers alone. When he had more advantageous matchups in terms of numbers he was consistently getting pressure on QBs and finishing, even on mobile QBs. He is so often on the attack as a pass-rusher, using his explosion, hand technique and aggression to put OL under immense pressure.

Vs Run

He is aggressive and physically tough and plays so in the run game. He sets a hard edge as a run defender and actively constricts running lanes to limit the running game. He’s on the attack as a run defender which is enabled by his processing as he’s able to quickly read even complex running games. He will win as a penetrator but he can also stay gap disciplined on the outside, get off his block and make a play on the ball carrier in his gap. He uses his excellent hand placement, timing and play strength to set the edge well. He diagnoses Gap as well as Zone and defeats blocks in both schemes.

Where he can have some trouble is when facing a Gap-style run with multiple pullers coming at him. He is liable to abandon gap integrity in these instances. He also could stand to filter through traffic more effectively when defending a Zone run from the backside but on the whole is pursuit is relentless and excellent.

SUMMARY
Frightening, near un-blockable edge defender in certain situations, equally good vs pass and run, intelligent with only minor things to work on to improve his game.

PRODUCTION
SR:11 Sacks, 15 QB hits, 38 Total Tackles, 1 FF
JR:  9 Sacks, 2 QB hits, 32 total tackles
INJURY: None

RAVENS FIT
Athleticism 5
Intelligence 4
Versatility 4
Grit 4
Scheme 5