The Los Angeles Rams added defensive end Jared Verse in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. And after the retirement of future first ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, Verse has the chance to take over an immediate void.
Can the first round pick take the crown from Donald and lead the Rams in sacks as a rookie?
ESPN’s Mike Clay believes he will. Despite the presence of second-year players Kobie Turner and Byron Young (who both had stellar rookie seasons), it is Verse who has been projected to lead the Rams in sacks in the analyst’s latest 2024 NFL projections guide.
While Clay projects all of the three to have relatively equal production in 2024, Verse just eeks out Turner and Young. Clay projects Verse at 6.5 sacks in 2024, Young at 6.3, and Turner at 6.4. Again, this is an analytical piece so the partial sacks are meant to divide production into fractions. In reality, if the Rams got 6.5 sacks out of all three defensive linemen, the future of their unit is bright after the retirement of Donald.