Commanders' Ryan Kerrigan Compared to 'Next No. 1 Overall Pick' Jared Verse

Former Washington Commanders star Ryan Kerrigan was one of the NFL's best. Maybe Jared Verse can be the same.

When the Washington Commanders are brought up and the great defenders of the 2010s are mentioned, no conversation is complete without including defensive end Ryan Kerrigan. 

A four-time Pro Bowler, Kerrigan was a face of Washington football for a decade, dominating the league with four double-digit sack seasons. Now, the possible future Hall of Famer is said to be a prototype for 2024's projected No. 1 pick.

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah says Florida State defensive end Jared Verse reminds him of Kerrigan, who now coaches on the Commanders' staff.

"Verse isn't quite as big, but his game closely mirrors Kerrigan's when he was playing at Purdue. It's a combination of power, effort and the ability to finish plays," Jeremiah writes. "t's a combination of power, effort and the ability to finish plays. I can remember watching Kerrigan make chase plays from the opposite side of the field on a consistent basis in his collegiate days."

To introduce you to Verse, the Seminole star began his career outside of Tallahassee ... and outside of FBS football altogether. He was a budding menace at Albany, a Division-I FCS school.

From there, his decision to transfer to Florida State blossomed into an All-ACC performer with 48 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks last season. And while he could've gone pro this spring, he'll be back wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks in the college ranks for another year. 

Drawing comparisons to Kerrigan, though, a guy with 95.5 sacks and 120 tackles for loss in his career, is a high honor. If Verse is anything like the Washington legend, he'll be well worth going No. 1 overall in 2024.

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