WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – On the final play of his first half of NFL football, rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse came flying off the edge. After avoiding a chip from Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, Verse hand-fought his way around offensive tackle Taylor Decker to flatten quarterback Jared Goff for his first career sack.
As anyone who monitored Verse's constant trash talk during joint practices would have expected, he had a celebratory dance ready for the occasion. Verse became the fourth Rams player in franchise history to record a sack in his first career game and finished with four total tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits.
"(Decker) is a veteran tackle, so he has a lot of tools in his box." Verse said. "So I had to kind of work around them, he's a bigger guy, tall guy, a lot of weight underneath him."
Verse had an explosive debut against the Lions on Sunday Night Football, racking up high pressure and pass rush win rates that put him in elite company. He ranked first among rookies in pressures (six) and pressure rate (26.1%), securing the fourth-highest pressure rate for any rookie in Week 1 since 2018.
Verse used a variety of pass rush moves to get home against a veteran tackle in Decker, who he battled on all 43 of his snaps. The first-round pick out of Florida State displayed violent hands and quick feet to get the edge, but it wasn't all finesse – Verse feinted into successful bull rushes as well. He looked genuinely comfortable at the NFL level.
Verse said he wasn't as vocal as he'd been in college and during joint practices because of the respect he has for Detroit's offensive line. Still, he made sure to get a few "chirps" in, as he wreaked havoc off the right edge.
Verse's game-leading 3.99 average yards of separation from the quarterback at the throw or sack point, according to Next Gen Stats, meant he was constantly winning reps. He was the closest pass rusher to the quarterback for either team on any given dropback.
He was also productive against the run, tallying one solo tackle and two assists. On the very first snap of his NFL career, Verse drove his shoulder through David Montgomery to complete a brutal hit that had Montgomery gain just two yards, as Christian Rozeboom wrapped up his ankles.
"From the first play, I think you felt his presence as far as how heavy he is on contact, getting off blocks (and) helping make plays," said defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
Even when the Lions ran the ball well, Verse invaded the backfield. Detroit's game-winning overtime drive featured seven rushing plays – Verse was in the backfield on four of them and made a huge hit before the first down marker on another. He was a constant presence against one of the most respected veteran tackles in the NFL, and that impact was felt all along the Rams' defensive line.
"I think everyone can see (Verse) is an electric player," said Kobie Turner. "When he hits people, you kind of feel his presence, feel his energy… It's infectious, the guys feed off of it."
On the opposite edge, second-year star Byron Young said Verse's energy motivates him to grow and compete every day.
Both the underlying metrics and the eye test were on Verse's side Week 1. Going up against what Pro Football Focus ranked the best offensive line in football, the rookie succeeded in all facets of his job.
In one of the NFL's youngest pass rush units, it was encouraging to see Verse look like a seasoned veteran. His moves were varied, success was frequent, and that was just the beginning. Verse has much more left to prove.
"There's a lot of things I've got to clean up," Verse said. "(But) I feel like I had a successful first step."
