NEWSLETTER
Momma, there goes that man’s name again.
Jared Verse is firmly on the Chicago Bears radar. And soon, they’ll get to know the Florida State pass rusher more intimately whenever he makes his way to Halas Hall:
NFL reporter Jordan Schultz shares news that Jared Verse has an upcoming top-30 visit with the Bears. He also notes that the Denver Broncos have a visit lined up with the FSU Seminoles standout. But who cares about the Broncos, am I right?
I can’t ignore yet another mention of Jared Verse in conjunction with the Chicago Bears
In case you missed it, this counts as another name-check of Jared Verse as a possible Bears draft target. As we discussed yesterday, there has been a notable uptick in mentions of Verse as a player of interest on the team’s radar. And at this time of year, with the NFL Draft so close, that type of action isn’t something to ignore. Moreover, seeing a player’s name trend in such fashion right now nudges us to keep it in mind when the draft comes around in 13 days. We must keep our heads on a swivel, friends.
As for Verse, he is one of the most interesting edge defender prospects in this NFL Draft class. The Florida State star has 9 sacks in each of the past two seasons and racked up a total of 29.5 tackles-for-loss in that time span. Verse isn’t a pure pass rusher. Instead, his game resembles something you’d see more from a balanced defensive end as he sets the edge well in defending the run and while also mixing in some pass-rushing prowess. It isn’t the sexiest profile, but it projects to translate to the next level.
Here is something from the scouting world worth sharing: Lance Zierlein’s NFL Draft profile drops a LaMarr Woodley comp on Jared Verse. And that is fun to think about. Woodley was a menace early in his pro career. During his career in Pittsburgh, Woodley had at least 9 sacks four times, three seasons with at least 10 tackles-for-loss, and five campaigns in which he put up 11+ quarterback hits. That wouldn’t be the worst outcome for a pro career. But I’ll admit I’d want something more than that out of a top-10 pick.
For what it’s worth, Matt Rooney’s latest Bleacher Nation mock draft has Jared Verse going to the Los Angeles Rams with the No. 19 pick. Here is his justification for the piece:
The Rams need help rebuilding their defense, and with plenty of options at EDGE in this first round, they grab Jared Verse out of Florida State. They could go the cornerback or offensive line route, but if Verse were to fall back to them here I think his ceiling at this valuable of a position is too much to pass up on for a team that needs help in a lot of areas. If you can get to the passer, it makes everything easier on the rest of your defense.
You could plug in “Bears” in place of “Rams” and the sentiment would still read as mostly accurate. And I say “mostly accurate” because Chicago’s football team isn’t in the market to draft a first-round cornerback this year. Other than that, the words used to described the Rams are interchangeable with the Bears. Plus, based on his skill set, I feel as if Jared Verse could be a fit for any team with pass-rusher needs. But that is beside the point.
In the end, my read regarding the Bears hosting Jared Verse for a visit is this: If the team’s top options are not available when it goes on the clock with pick No. 9, General Manager Ryan Poles will actively shop the pick, look to trade down, and perhaps target Verse after the dust settles ahead of them in the draft. Frankly, I fully expect Poles to already have feelers out there for possible trade-back partners. Having a list of teams who would have an interest in trading up to pluck someone at No. 9 just in case your favorite prospects go off the board before it is your turn to pick would be the prudent thing to do.
After all, you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready.
Heady thinking isn’t something we generally think of when discussing Chicago’s front office. But the Bears’ general manager has been creative in the trade market before. So I am willing to let him cook if the draft falls in a way that nudges him toward trading out of the top 10. A prepared and progressive front office could thread the needle on draft night if it is on its toes and ready to strike at a moment’s notice. It is the kind of thing forward-thinking front offices do on the regular.
