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New York Giants Draft Prospect: Jared Verse, EDGE

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Nick Falato | Last updated Jan 25, 2024 8:00 AM ET

Jared Verse, EDGE

Height: 6’4
Weight: 260 lbs.
Class: RS- Junior
School: Florida State
Statistics

Jared Verse made his presence felt in his two seasons at Florida State. He amassed 60 pressures in 2023 and 36 in 2022. He finished this past season with 18 in two games (8 against Florida and 10 against Louisville in the Conference Championship). Before arriving in Tallahassee, Verse was a star of the Albany Great Danes.

Verse earned two consecutive first-team All-American selections at Florida State. He was the CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 at Albany and was first-team All-CAA in 2021.

Verse had a unique path to Florida State. He grew up in Berwick, PA, where he played tight end and defensive end at Central Columbia High School. He was very undersized and received no FBS scholarships coming out of high school.

Verse reportedly gained 40 pounds ahead of the 2020 season before Albany canceled their fall sports due to COVID-19. He played the next season at Albany and transferred. His transformation made him one of the more sought-after transfer prospects in the portal after the 2021 season.

He was a four-star recruit, the second EDGE rusher in the portal, and the 21st overall player. also added seven extra pounds ahead of the 2023 season. Verse will hear his name called early on day one of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Summary

Violence, violence, and more violence. Jared Verse inspired Miley Cyrus because he comes in like a wrecking ball. The Florida State EDGE combines an elite ability to convert speed to power with some of the heavier hands I’ve seen from an EDGE rusher while possessing enough bend to win with speed around the edge and enough power to run through quality opponents.

Verse does a great job timing his pass-rushing reps to attack OL when they’re least ready; he does this by shrewdly disguising his path up the arc with elite micromovements to confuse. He strikes with power when OL commits to speed or engages his speed/bend around the edge when the OL sits to absorb a power move.

The defense he played in tasked him to slant/exchange gaps often. He’s a capable run defender who did seem spontaneous against power/gap and counter concepts on the EDGE. His physical nature - and the defense he played in at FSU - give me little reason to doubt his ability to squeeze/wrong arm/or spill as a run defender when necessary.

Verse has a very high floor as a prospect but does have a ceiling despite being an older player. He has double-digit sack upside. The jolt he provides on contact due to his hands/explosive nature will be an asset for him in his first year. He’s a day-one starter that will make a fan base very happy.

GRADE: 7.12

This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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