Jared Verse and Braden Fiske considered perfect schematic fits for Rams…

Jared Verse and Braden Fiske considered perfect schematic fits for Rams
The Athletic lists Jared Verse and Braden Fiske among best schematic fits after the draft

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Blaine Grisak



The Los Angeles Rams wrapped up the NFL Draft over the weekend, selecting 10 players for their 2024 class. Half the battle of drafting the right players throughout the process is ensuring that those players will fit in the offensive and defensive scheme. The draft can be extremely random in terms of who succeeds and busts, but a player can increase their odds by being a fit for that team’s scheme.

Kicking off the draft class were the Florida State duo of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen put together a list of best schematic fits of the 2024 class. Included in that list were Verse and Fiske with the Rams who are an odd front, pattern match team on defense.

Needing an edge rusher, Verse made too much sense after falling to 19. The Florida State edge rusher has quick get off and tested really well in explosive drills. He wins with both speed and power and should be able to provide a boost to the Rams pass rush. Said Nguyen,

“Losing one of the greatest interior pass rushers ever is tough. No one can replace Aaron Donald. But the Rams have to do something to mitigate the gaping hole left by his absence. Asking one rookie to try to fill his shoes is an impossible task, so the Rams are asking two Seminoles to try...The Rams use odd fronts with two stand-up edge rushers and Verse has experience rushing standing up or with his hand in the ground. Verse fits what they typically look for in an edge linebacker more than incumbent starter Michael Hoecht, who is a converted nose tackle. Verse has some experience dropping back, which he’ll be asked to do.”

The Rams didn't just add one Florida State defender, but took a second by trading up to 39 and selecting Braden Fiske. Fiske was a player pre-draft that I determined a fit due to his quick get off, elite explosiveness, and displayed good later movement. However, he is a scheme fit as well as a single gap penetrator. Nguyen said of Fiske,

“Fiske has one of the quickest get-offs in the draft. He was one of the best testers at the combine and that athleticism pops off the film. Fiske is an explosive, violent and unrelenting defender but he’s undersized at 292 pounds and has short arms. In the Rams’ odd fronts, he can kick out and line up at four-technique (head up on tackles) so he doesn’t have to hold his ground in the A and B gaps too often. It’ll remain to be seen how Fiske will hold up against the run, but the Rams hope the pair will be able to contribute to their pass rush immediately.”

One of the reasons that the Rams took both Verse and Fiske was their chemistry and how they played off of one another at Florida State. However, both players being seen as a schematic fit under new defensive coordinator Chris Shula helps out a lot as well.

After losing Aaron Donald to retirement, the Rams needed to add some young building blocks to the defense. Verse should be able to complement Byron Young while Fiske plays off of Kobie Turner. The big thing here will be for both players to just be themselves and not try to replace Aaron Donald. If Verse and Fiske just continue to do what they achieved at Florida State, the Rams will have selected to really good players to their defense.