Rams News: Can Jared Verse Challenge For DROY This Season?

Will Verse contend for DROY?

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Do the Los Angeles Rams have a Defensive Rookie of the Year contender in first-round pick Jared Verse? Verse, who is the Rams' first first-round pick since 2016, was taken 19th overall by the Rams.

While normally the top DROY contenders are defensive players drafted top-5 or even top-10 in the draft, this year's draft skewed so much toward the offensive side of the ball that no defensive player was even taken until the Indianapolis Colts took Laiatu Latu No. 15 overall.

With Verse selected only four picks after Latu, he was one of the top defensive players off the board and in this year's draft. Along with his draft positioning, Verse is tied for the third-best odds to win DROY this season, per FanDuel Sportsbook, behind only Latu and Dallas Turner. This certainly makes him a contender for the title.

Of course, what will matter most is how Verse performs in the regular season. If Verse can replicate the kind of production he put up in college, he will be well on his way.

Verse had at least nine sacks in each of his last three seasons of college football. Last year's DROY, Houston Texans' Will Anderson Jr., put up seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss to take the award. The NFL is of course a much higher level of play, but if Verse can transition quickly to the NFL, it would help him produce the sacks and impact needed.

If Verse does manage to win DROY, he would be in good company. The last Ram to win the award was future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald.

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