2024 Bears Draft Target: Jared Verse |
The excitement is building in Chicago as Caleb Williams will officially hear his name called the No. 1 overall pick in 39 days. That will be the start of what is expected to be a lengthy career in Chicago filled with plenty of winning. However, adding Williams is just the next step in building the puzzle, and Ryan Poles knows that.
Looking at how this roster is constructed right now, you would be hard-pressed to say that this team is better and deeper at virtually every position. That is unless we look at the pass rush, where the Bears have done little, if anything, to address that area. After whiffing on all the big names in free agency, the Bears are down to slim pickings if they want to give Montez Sweat the protection he needs to be successful next season. Knowing that and knowing where their finances sit, Poles may put the chance to add pass-rushing help in the offseason aside and instead focus on that with the No. 9 overall pick. While there are plenty of options for what the Bears could do here, the most logical pick based on how this draft board is expected to unfold would be adding Jared Verse to this team at No. 9 to add to the already improving defensive group. A standout at Florida State, Verse has been climbing the draft ranking all season and is now expected to land inside the top 10. A bigger edge rusher at 6-4 and 260 pounds, Verse didn't record a single sack as a freshman before breaking out with back-to-back nine-sack seasons. He also added 88 tackles with those sacks, with 41 coming this season, as he played a massive role for the Seminoles the past two years. While his size makes him a physical specimen, his 4.58 speed is also vastly underrated. Verse has been a matchup nightmare the past few years as he is an extremely talented edge defender with a skill set that could see him leading his team in several defensive categories. He has excellent explosiveness at the point of attack, and that upfield burst you love to see when chasing down a ball carrier. Known for his variety of pass-rushing moves, Verse can play up or down at the line of scrimmage and has shown the ability to adapt to different defensive schematics. Matt Eberflus is known for changing up the scheme on defense, so Verse would fit in nicely as he would allow Eberflus to move him around a ton. Not only does Verse do a great job controling things at the point of attack due to his great first step, but he uses great leverage and strong hands to control even some of the bigger blockers in today's game. His unstoppable energy is a dream to have on your team but a nightmare to go against, as he never seems to get tired. Given his ability to use different moves to get after the QB, offensive coaches often have to double-team him in order to contain him at the line. While the positives surrounding Verse are all great things to hear, what about the negatives? For starters, he lacks the ideal size that teams covet when it comes to an Edge rusher so look for him to focus on adding some size this season. Verse may do a great job of getting his hands on blockers, but when they get their hands on him first, it can be a long day as he has a hard time shedding blockers who control the line of scrimmage. Verse also has a tendency to miss some tackles at the line of scrimmage due to poor footwork which also leads to his pass rush being less effective as the game goes on. He is a bit of a raw talent at this point, but one that is worth the risk at No. 9 knowing the potential he has as a player. The biggest compliment anyone can give him is what an NFC executive said about him following the combine. "He really sees the game well, and he’s got the athleticism to go with it," the executive said. "I think he’ll be one of the best defensive players to come out of this draft." Those are pretty high marks when you look at who is in this class with him, but there is a reason why he has been climbing the draft board. Verse seems like a Poles and Eberflus type of player, and the closer we get to the draft, the more he makes sense for Chicago.
