The Rams believed they had made a stellar pick when they selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft for the first time since 2016.
They did even better than expected—by selecting Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse, they secured a future award winner.
Verse earned the 2024 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award at NFL Honors on Thursday in New Orleans, capping off a standout rookie season with a recognition that hints at even greater potential ahead.
Verse secured 37 first-place votes and totaled 427 points. Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, the only other player with multiple first-place votes (nine), finished second with 239 points. Rams teammate Braden Fiske placed third with 96 points, followed by Eagles CB Cooper DeJean (91) and Dolphins pass rusher Chop Robinson (75).
Verse entered the league as the 19th overall pick in a draft dominated by offensive players, with the first defender (Indianapolis’ Laiatu Latu) not selected until 15th. This led to Verse slipping later in the first round, where the Rams were eager to grab him.
Verse made an immediate impact as a rookie, recording a sack in his NFL debut. While he finished with 4.5 sacks, his influence extended beyond the stat sheet—he ranked fourth among all pass rushers in quarterback pressures (76), according to Next Gen Stats, and was one of just eight non-linebackers to record 40 or more run stops in 2024. He peaked in the playoffs, returning a fumble for a touchdown in the Rams’ wild-card victory over the 15-2 Vikings. In the Divisional Round, he continued to dominate, tallying four QB pressures and two sacks in the Rams’ loss to the NFC champion Eagles, drawing jeers from the hostile crowd after his pre-game remarks.
Verse was the first of two Florida State defenders taken by the Rams with their top picks, with former Seminoles teammate Braden Fiske joining him in Los Angeles a day later. Alongside Verse, Fiske, Kobie Turner, and Bobby Brown, the Rams have successfully rebuilt their defensive line after Aaron Donald’s retirement, setting the stage for a promising future in the trenches.
Verse was a dominant edge rusher at Florida State, playing a crucial role in the Seminoles’ undefeated 2023 season and ACC championship. Despite being passed over in the draft for two other edge rushers (Laiatu Latu and Minnesota’s Dallas Turner), he proved those decisions wrong with his impressive 2024 performance—now backed by an award to show for it.
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