Despite being the fourth defensive player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, Los Angeles Rams' first-round pick Jared Verse has become a popular pick to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Alongside Kobie Turner, who finished third in the DROY voting last season, the Rams may have found two immediate contributors to help keep their defense up after the retirement of Aaron Donald.
ESPN polled 12 experts on their picks for Defensive Player of the Year, and Verse was a very popular pick. Five of the 12 experts polled chose Verse to win the coveted award. Here is what ESPN's Field Yates had to say about Verse:
"Verse. The Rams needed serious front-seven reinforcements and used the 19th overall pick on the ready-made Verse, whose in-line power and 6-foot-4 length should lead to sack production right out of the gate. Verse is almost 24 years old and is a more refined prospect than many of the other players taken around him in the first round."
Verse is slated to start virtually right away opposite of Byron Young, and the Rams praised his alignment versatility when they drafted him. Add on his explosiveness and high floor as a pass rusher and run defender, and it's easy to see why Verse was a popular pick.
If Verse won, he would be the first Ram to win either Rookie of the Year award since Todd Gurley in 2015 and the first Rams' DROY since Aaron Donald himself.
