The annual NFL scouting combine took place this weekend, which gave hundreds of incoming prospects the chance to improve their draft stock and help make their NFL dreams come true. One of those players was Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse. Verse could've been a potential top pick in last year's NFL Draft had he decided to declare, but he opted to run it back for one more year in Tallahassee. He can bring an instant boost to a team's pass rush in the middle of the first round, where he is projected to go. Teams like the New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals, in particular, could use Verse's skillset.
Jared Verse's path to the NFL was not one commonly traveled. Verse began his college career at the University of Albany. After two dominant seasons with the Great Danes, he transferred to Florida State. Verse's dominance continued with the Seminoles. He racked up nine sacks in each of his two seasons there and was named to two first-team All-ACC and All-American squads. Verse was a great college player who will look to maintain that production at the NFL level. He could do so by going to either of the two franchises listed above.
New Orleans Saints
There may not be a team in the NFL who needs a pass rusher more than the Saints. There aren't many pass rush metrics that paint the Saints in a positive light in 2023. One would just be a simple accounting of sacks produced.
The Saints finished last season with only 34 sacks. That was tied for the fourth-fewest number along with the New York Giants. Only the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, and Carolina Panthers had fewer sacks than New Orleans in 2023.
Other metrics aren't all that favorable to the Saints either, such as ESPN's pass rush win rate. New Orleans finished 31st in that metric. The only other team that got to the quarterback less frequently than the Saints in that metric was the Atlanta Falcons.
The Saints could use a dynamic pass rusher. Carl Granderson was their only player at that position to register more than four sacks in 2023. Tanoh Kpassangnon was next up at that position with 3.5. Pass rush is a glaring weakness for New Orleans. They can address that with Jared Verse.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals already have one of the best pass rushers in the NFL in Trey Hendrickson. Not only did Hendrickson post a preposterous 17.5 sacks in 2023, but he also ranked 10th in the NFL in pass rush win rate among individual pass rushers. He is undoubtedly great. But, he could use some help.
The Bengals as a team ranked 23rd in pass rush win rate. They also had only one player other than Hendrickson to post more than five sacks last season. That would be Sam Hubbard, who racked up the six of them in 2023.
To Cincinnati's credit, they did try to address the pass rush during last season's draft. They used their first-round pick on Clemson pass-rushing defensive tackle Myles Murphy. Murphy was fine as a rookie. He posted three sacks in limited playing time. Perhaps they think he has a leap to make in 2024.
However, it never hurts to have more pass rushers. Jared Verse is one of the best in this year's draft and is rated around where the Bengals are slated to draft. He'd be a great value at a premier position. Cincinnati should be ready to pounce on Verse if he falls to their pick (19th overall) in the NFL draft.
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