Buccaneers NFL Draft Target: Florida State Edge, Jared Verse

A top edge rusher is exactly what the Bucs need – and Jared Verse should top their wish list

While the emergence of YaYa Diaby came as a pleasant surprise, 2021 first round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka hasn’t developed quite the way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had hoped. Now, after releasing Shaquil Barrett, the Bucs’ edge rushers consist of Diaby, Tryon-Shoyinka, and Anthony Nelson. That’s not going to be enough to get the job done in Todd Bowles’ defense. They need a marquee guy that will draw the attention of opposing offensive coordinators and offensive lines that have to game plan for a feared entity.

That’s why a guy like Jared Verse would fit so well with this team. Someone who was a dominant force that can be a day one impact player to compliment Diaby and the growth everyone is hoping we’ll see from year one to year two after leading the Buccaneers in sacks while taking fewer than 50% of defensive snaps in 2023.

Jared Verse’s Collegiate Career

The Dayton, Ohio native played his high school ball at Central Columbia in Berwick, Pennsylvania before attending Albany to start his college career. After redshirting in 2019, Verse played just four games his first season thanks to a Covid-19 shortened season, racking up 22 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and four sacks before exploding in his sophomore season with 53 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks. Verse then transferred to Florida State in 2022 and played in 24 games over two seasons with the Seminoles. He finished with 89 tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, two passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble while in Tallahassee.

At 6’4”, 260lbs, Verse has that unique combination of strength, agility, and speed that allowed him to be so productive at both stops.

Pro Day and NFL Scouting Combine

Jared Verse did not participate in any drills at the FSU Pro Day, but was in attendance to support his teammates.

At the NFL Combine, Verse ran a 4.58 40-yard dash with a 1.6 split, hit 31 reps on the bench press while having a 35” vertical jump and 10’ 7” broad jump.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats scoring, Verse was given an 81 production score – third among edge rushers – a 79 athleticism score – eighth among edge rushers – and an overall score of 84, which was second among edge rushers. His RAS – Relative Athletic Score – was also impressive, coming in as the 78th highest score out of 1,685 edge rushers graded since 1987;

What Verse Can Do For The Bucs In 2024

The ability to generate pressure on the quarterback without blitzing was bad last season. The Bucs’ leading sacker was Diaby with 7.5 followed by Antoine Winfield Jr with 6, Vita Vea with 6, and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka with 5. Part of the reason Shaq Barrett was released was his 4.5 sacks last season, tied with Lavonte David. Two of the top three sack producers for the Bucs weren’t edge rushers – and that has to change.

When the Bucs defense was at its best, you had Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul coming off the edge and wreaking havoc. In order for Bowles’ defense to be at its most effective, the Bucs have to generate pressure without sending so many blitzes. Verse is an immediate upgrade in that department. Tryon-Shoyinka and Nelson will be valuable rotational pieces while Diaby and Verse can carry the load to go along with Calijah Kancey who had a promising rookie season alongside Vea.

Allowing Bowles to take some pressure off the cornerbacks – which now appear to be Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum as the starters – and not forcing Winfield Jr. to blitz as much, instead keeping him in the secondary more often to create takeaways, will start to turn this defense back into one of the more feared units in the NFL as they reflect more of the 2020 and 2021 type defense that could take over games.

On top of the pass rush component, Verse is also a top-tier run defender which is something Bowles looks for. Taking a look at how stout the Bucs’ defense has been against the run while anchored by Vea, it has allowed Bowles to take more risks and send more blitzes after turning the offense into a predictable, one-dimensional unit. That, of course, leads to rushed plays, poor decisions, and turnovers by the quarterback.

Three-Year Outlook

This is a guy that you hope, after taking him in the first round, becomes one of the centerpieces of your defense. A do it all edge rusher that could easily reach the double-digit sack mark as a rookie is what makes a good defense great. With NFL comparisons to LaMarr Woodley, Ryan Kerrigan, and Will Anderson, Verse is a guy that can become the face of the middle of the defense along with Vea in the front and Winfield in the secondary.

You can never have too many edge rushers, but the Bucs need the big play guy they are sorely lacking right now.

Stock Report

Verse’s draft stock is all over the place right now with mock drafts having him go as high as 9th overall to the Chicago Bears and as low as 28th to the Buffalo Bills in a mock draft put out by Yahoo! Sports just last week.

While he seems like a long shot to reach the Bucs at 26, he has been mocked there a few times including by Texans Wire, Pats Football Now, and NBC Sports Philadelphia within the last week. The consensus is, when all mock drafts are put together and averaged, that Verse will land with the Bears at pick nine with 22% of mocks have him in that spot – but don’t rule out Jason Licht making a move to climb the draft board and snag him.

We know Licht will make moves and if there is a player he wants bad enough, he will go get him. With the additional third rounder that the Bucs got from Detroit in the Carlton Davis trade, the Bucs have extra firepower to make a move.

On The Clock…

So, what do you think of the idea of pairing Jared Verse up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Vote in the poll below and discuss in the comment section!