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NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Reportedly Wants to Change Positions

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Brendan Howe | Last updated May 12, 2025 2:41 PM ET

Jared Verse has proven himself as a defensive end at the NFL level, having earned the Associated Press 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. The Los Angeles Rams standout reportedly wants to help out on the other side of the ball, too.

"Defensive Rookie of the Year @JaredVerse1 told us he's said to head coach Sean McVay that he wants to play offense. 'I've asked him 1,000 times.'" the X account for "The Rich Eisen Show" posted Friday. "Verse was a 1,000-yard receiver at tight end in high school and played both ways at defensive end."

Last season, Verse paced all rookies in quarterback hits (18), pressures (77) and hurries (56). He totaled 11 tackles for loss, the second-most among newcomers for the campaign.

Verse said winning the award was a small step toward accomplishing larger goals, adding "there's a lot of people that have won this award that after they win it, they get satisfied. That's the main thing, you can't get satisfied. This is just a small step to a big goal."

Some of that path, it appears, involves catching touchdowns as well as harassing opposing passers. As a high school senior at Central Columbia (Pa.), Verse pulled in 15 receptions for 385 yards. He also played basketball and ran track, winning the state championship as part of the 4x400 relay team.

Jared Verse began his collegiate career at Albany before transferring to play for the Florida State Seminoles, which helped him become the No. 19 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He had 66 combined tackles and 4.5 sacks during his initial professional go-round.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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