2024 NFL Mock Draft: Vikings pick pass rusher

With the 23rd overall pick in the 2024 Bleeding Green Nation community mock draft, Minnesota Vikings GM RabidPanda13 selects …

Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State

Chaos Theory

Expect the unexpected. Thousands of mocks are run every spring; compiling evaluations of the very best college players based off their on-field performance, combine testing, and team visits (just to name a few factors), eventually forming a rough level of consensus as the NFL Draft approaches. By Night 1 the world has decided what is expected, and therefore what is deemed acceptable. And yet, seemingly every year to our collective shock some apparently desperate or incompetent team takes a player much earlier than expected or a player we all thought to be a can’t-miss prospect sits for hours waiting to hear their name finally be called, which leads us to the 2024 NFL Draft…

Roger Goodell sent shockwaves through Campus Martius Park when he announced that the Washington Commanders were selecting WR Marvin Harrison Jr with the #2 overall pick in the draft. The only debate there had been in the weeks leading up to this bombshell centered on the which particular passer they would choose to lead the franchise into a new era: prototype Drake Maye, dual-threat Jayden Daniels, or perhaps even national champion JJ McCarthy. Astoundingly, Josh Harris signed off on his team forgoing positional value, and in doing so initiated a chain reaction of teams pivoting off their expected plans to adjust to this bombshell, leaving the Minnesota Vikings to watch in horrified frustration as their plans to trade up for a young signal caller went up in smoke. Maye was immediately snatched by New England, and after Arizona and the LA Chargers refused to forgo the chance to take this year’s #2 and #3 WR prospects (at least not without the Vikings including their 2025 1st and additional future picks in any offers), New York gleefully jumped at the chance to select Daniels. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah persisted in his attempts to trade up and guarantee his club the #4 QB prospect, but was continuously met with other teams attempting to leverage his perceived desperation into a king’s ransom of draft picks, leaving Minnesota with no choice but to join their fans and watch as the evening proceeded and the #11 pick drew closer and closer. By some level of divine intervention however, the Minnesota Vikings find themselves on the clock with JJ McCarthy still available and, after dramatically allowing the clock to run for almost the full ten minutes), Roger Goodell announces the new face of Skol Nation.

A Nice Problem to Have

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and that’s not always a bad thing. Adofo-Mensah took action to put his club in position to come away from this draft with a top QB prospect; acquiring the #23 pick from Houston to stock the war chest. Once again though, anything can and does happen in the NFL Draft, leading to Minnesota being in the enviable position of having their cake and eating it too. So now what? First, an extremely abbreviated review of the Vikings current non-QB needs (in no particular order):

• Interior OL: Dalton Risner remains on the free agent market, leaving starting LG as a question mark. Minnesota did bring in Blake Brandel who presents a potential backup option, however one can’t help but fantasize about top iOL prospect Jackson Powers-Johnson keeping McCarthy clean for years to come
• Interior DL: Jerry Tillery was brought in, but Minnesota is still in need of restocking their defensive line with big, meaty men. Names like Jer’Zhan Newton, Byron Murphy II, and T’Vondre Sweat all stand as potential options here.
• Defensive End: Danielle Hunter departed for Houston after a career season which saw him cement his legacy in franchise history by ascending to #3 all-time among Vikings sack artists. As all Eagles fans know, you can never have too many talented pass rushers, even after Minnesota handed out a sizeable contract to Jonathan Greenard to offset the loss of Hunter. The consensus top edge rushers in this class that could be seen as first round candidates are Dallas Turner, Jared Verse, Laitau Latu, and Chop Robinson.
• Cornerback: Minnesota LOVES drafting cornerbacks; so much so in fact that they’ve drafted one in the first two rounds SIX TIMES in the last nine years. Taking Mekhi Blackmon with pick #102 last year may be seen as enough by a team like the Eagles, but enough never seems like enough when it comes to the Minnesota Vikings and the cornerback spot. Any of Quinyon Mitchell, Terrion Arnold, Cooper DeJean, and Kool-Aid McKinstry (among others) could join this surprisingly extensive fraternity.
• Other positions such as linebacker, running back, and wide receiver will likely receive some level of interest and potentially investment in the draft, but they don’t warrant attention in round one barring any wild, unforeseen circumstances. This year’s linebacker/running back classes don’t have any sensational prospects that should be considered on Day 1, and with Minnesota looking to lock down Justin Jefferson after having drafted Jordan Addison in the first round last year they’ll likely be looking to fill out that position group with a Day 2 or Day 3 player.

And Now We Play The Waiting Game…

While the top eleven picks in the draft held some dramatically unexpected selections; on the whole it lived up to general expectations, seeing a run on the consensus top four quarterbacks, the top three receivers, and the top two tackles, along with the first pass rusher and the blue chip TE being taken for good measure. Now Minnesota and their lucky fanbase get to experience déjà vu when it comes to the anxiety/excitement that is waiting for one’s first round selection. Cheers erupt when Denver selects Bo Nix, burning a selection on a position that the Vikings hopefully won’t need to think about this early in the draft again for a very long time. Las Vegas and New Orleans go back-to-back with offensive tackles; three picks down without causing consternation for most folks in Minnesota; even the Colts making Quinyon Mitchell the first CB off the board shouldn’t ruffle too many feathers. Seattle selecting Jer’Zhan Newton with pick #16 is the pick that starts raising the blood pressure among notable chunks of the Minnesota faithful, which is thankfully slightly alleviated by a WR coming off the board next. Unfortunately, audible groans of frustration are heard erupting from the purple and gold contingent live in Detroit (along with an extremely faint expletive coming from a certain member of this BGN Mock Draft Committee) as we see Byron Murphy II get scooped up by the Bengals at #18. Adofo-Mensah has diligently continued to work the phones throughout the evening just in case, but with Murphy off the board and his next 1st rounder coming up soon the decision is made not to give up further resources and see how things fall. One would think that Los Angeles prepping for a post-Matthew Stafford future and taking another QB would help, but the collective pulse in Minnesota continues to quicken as we move closer and closer to pick #23. Terrion Arnold joins the Vikings old friend Justin Fields in Pittsburgh, with JC Latham heading to Miami, and finally Jackson Powers-Johnson going the Philadelphia. The NFL world holds its collective breath as Goodell approaches the podium and announces: “with the 23rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select…

…JARED VERSE, DEFENSIVE END, FLORIDA STATE!”

High fives all around in the Vikings war room as they add an impact talent to their pass rushing rotation who they hadn’t expected to fall this far in the draft. Members of the Vikings fan base who spent all their time reading up on scouting reports for the top QBs immediately pull out their phones to figure out how exactly they should respond to this development.

Who the Hell is this Guy?

Per WalterFootball:

“In the new era of college football, small-school talents are getting snatched up in the transfer portal and moving onto bigger competition. Verse started his career playing for Albany, where he impressed. Verse began as an undersized player and added weight while switching from tight end to defensive end. In two seasons with Albany – 15 games -, Verse totaled 74 tackles, 21.5 tackles for a loss, 14.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. In his final season at Albany in 2021 specifically, he recorded 10 tackles for a loss, four sacks and 22 tackles. He played well against good competition that season… Verse then transferred in 2022 to join Florida State, where he showed he has NFL talent. Verse provided a big presence for the Seminoles that season while totaling 47 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss and nine sacks. It was surprising when Verse decided to return to Florida State and not enter the 2023 NFL Draft. Verse then recorded 41 tackles, nine sacks and two passes batted in 2023. He was quiet in a lot of games, but had some big performances against weak opponents. Verse recorded 6.5 of his sacks against Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Florida.” [1]

Tale of the Tape

Raw measurables courtesy of MockDraftable:

[2]

Looking at Verse’s spider chart you can see right away this dude is an excellent athlete, albeit one lacking in terms of the elite physical traits that will get NFL coaches salivating about a prospect potentially having a sky-high ceiling. That being said his drill results match up with what he’s been able to do on the football field, speaking of which…

The Eye Test

As your average football fan whose film review consisted of watching a variety of Jared Verse clips on Youtube I have to say this guy was a menace once he got into the backfield, closing quickly while also making good use of his arms to attempt to knockdown any frantic last minute pass attempts. There were also several instances of Verse just completely overpowering the guy opposite him and using a QBs own offensive linemen as a battering ram to get sacks; while its unrealistic to expect similar plays to occur at the pro level with any kind of regularity, it’s exactly the kind of highlight reel stuff you want to see out of top-level draft prospects. Verse isn’t just a pass rush specialist, as he also does a great job supporting in the run game; both keeping containment and being able to wrap up and take down opposing running backs without help.

For those looking for a breakdown from people who actually know what the hell they’re talking about, here’s what PFF has to say:

“His speed-to-power is consistently effective. His hands are powerful and violent, and his swipes look like they hurt. His best work comes from the power he generates as a three-point defensive end… Verse has dominated everywhere he’s played. He posted a career pass-rush win rate of 20.4% and is an extremely polished pass-rusher… He is also a solid run defender in a way that the other top edge defenders in this class aren’t. Though a lot of his production against the run came while at Albany, he’s forced a run stop on 7.5% of plays in his career, a very good mark… Verse doesn’t have the longest arms, and that shows up in some pass-rush counters and in his tackling, but he brings his hard hat and lunch pail to every snap, wins with strength regularly and is built like a first-rounder.” [3]

If You Ain’t Verse-d, You’re Last

Jared Verse may not have quite as high of a potential ceiling as Dallas Turner/Chop Robinson or the insane technical skills of Laitau Latu, but he arguably has the highest floor of the top four pass rushers in this draft while still offering plenty of potential to become a pro bowl level player. It would be a tough call between him and Turner, but as fate would have it, that call was made for me when Turner was drafted by Atlanta. Latu is right there with Verse for me, but his potential medical concerns were the tiebreaker in that decision. As far as Robinson goes, personally he’s too boom/bust for me to want to touch before Day 2.

As far as non-pass rush options go, while some may have quibbles about DT being a bigger need for Minnesota, the only two I would have potentially taken (Newton and Murphy II) were long gone by the time the Vikings were back on the clock. I can most definitely see a scenario similar to this mock occurring, but with another team offering a compelling package to get up to pick #23 and Minnesota accruing better value than what they gave to Houston depending on how the board falls.

At the end of the day, you can never have too many talented pass rushers, and Jared Verse should be a central part of Minnesota’s defense for years to come. His nonstop motor and multifaceted game offer up a strong floor while his enticing athletic traits still provide plenty to dream on. Should this BGN draft be a disturbingly perfect prediction of what goes down on April 25th, I’ll be screaming in anguish at my TV over Philadelphia passing on Jared Verse, but at least I’ll be able to take solace in getting to toss a few “I told you so’s” around in the comments section.

References:

1. https://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2024jverse.php
2. https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/jared-verse
3. https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2024-nfl-draft-scouting-report-florida-state-edge-defender-jared-verse

2024 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Bears (Draftjunky): Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2) Commanders (surefooted): Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
3) Patriots (niels.rosenquist): Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
4) Cardinals (eaglenomics): Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
5) Chargers (SeanEFootball): Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
6) Giants (89Tremaine) Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
7) Titans (Philly21): Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
8) Falcons (Eagles_Blitz80): Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
9) Bears (pheebthegoose): Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
10) Jets (GreenGrampa): Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
11) Vikings (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop): J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
12) Broncos (PBARB1978): Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
13) Raiders (iam4theBirdz): Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
14) Saints (Fly Like An Eagle): Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
15) Colts (J. Wil): Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
16) Seahawks (Phreezy E): Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
17) Jaguars (dredscottroberts): WR Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
18) Bengals (grantspectations): Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
19) Rams (Nolo0oo): Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
20) Steelers (Dr.MidnightGreen): Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
21) Dolphins (Neil Dutton): JC Latham, OT, Alabama
22) Eagles (ablesser88): Jackson Powers-Johnson, OL, Oregon
23) Vikings (RabidPanda13): Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
24) Cowboys (Elliptical Man)
25) Packers (LeFire)
26) Buccaneers (FlJoe)
27) Cardinals (green1us)
28) Bills (Leo Bedio)
29) Lions (MrOilman)
30) Ravens (LancGuy)
31) 49ers (SakPrescott)
32) Chiefs (Hoosinole)

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think should be selected in the 2024 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft

1) Bears: QB Caleb Williams
2) Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels
3) Patriots: QB Drake Maye
4) Cardinals: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
5) Chargers: WR Malik Nabers
6) Giants: WR Rome Odunze
7) Titans: OT Joe Alt
8) Falcons: EDGE Dallas Turner
9) Bears: OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu
10) Jets: TE Brock Bowers
11) Vikings: QB J.J. McCarthy
12) Broncos: QB Bo Nix
13) Raiders: OT Taliese Fuaga
14) Saints: OT Troy Fautanu
15) Colts: CB Quinyon Mitchell
16) Seahawks: DT Byron Murphy
17) Jaguars: CB Terrion Arnold
18) Bengals: OT JC Latham
19) Rams: EDGE Jared Verse
20) Steelers: OL Jackson Powers-Johnson
21) Dolphins: OT Amarius Mims
22) Eagles: CB Cooper DeJean
23) Vikings