Chicago Bears 2024 NFL Draft argument Florida State defensive end Jared Verse

Florida State defensive end was the early odds-on favorite to land with the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft, is that still the case?

Jared Verse is a long, strong and athletic defensive end from Florida State who fits the profile of an every down base 4-3 defensive end that could have tremendous success in the NFL.  But is he a classic case of looks like Tarzan plays like Jane?  Jared Verse was not a consistently productive pass rusher and it shows up on tape why that is.

The case for Jared Verse to be the next defensive end of the Chicago Bears

Jared Verse like Dallas Turner is a tremendous athlete who goes 6-foot-4 254-pounds.  When you put the film on   of Jared Verse you can see he looks like the most dominant player on the field.  He is lanky but he is filled out with muscle throughout his body.  When you draw up a future base 4-3 defensive end, Jared Verse fits the mold of that ideal player.  You can see that he has speed, he has strength and could possibly dominate in the NFL.

He has speed to take the edge and get consistent pressure when his motor it turned all the way on and he’s motivated.  He’s very strong a good bull rusher to attack the chest plate of the offensive tackle and put him on skates.  His big strong hands will be useful in the NFL to jolt opposing blockers in both the run game and the pass rush sequences.

He glides with ease because he is so lanky his long stride cover ground very quickly as a result of his long athleticism.  You can see the makings of a tremendous player based on how he looks compared to the players around him and other athletes in the class.

But why doesn’t his production match the skill set he possesses?

A clear case against drafting Jared Verse emerges when you watch his tape with a critical eye.

Jared Verse is a illusionary prospect who looks like he should be dominating games from start to finish, and yet he rarely does.  Jared Verse cruised along with 4.5 sacks over the entirety of the season until finishing with a flurry of 4.5 sacks in two games.  But it’s every game in between that matters than the two games where he overwhelmed much lesser opponents.

To be blunt Jared Verse did not seem motivated to be dominant.  He took plays off, he snap explosion was not always the same.  Sometimes he exploded of the ball, other times he was the last one off the ball.  Whether it was because he was tired or just flat out not motivated, it was painfully obvious he wasn’t giving effort play in and play out.

Not giving consistent effort in the NFL will be a big problem for Verse as NFL level offensive tackles will take advantage of that lackadaisical effort and expose it to their advantage.  He doesn’t win enough battles with his tremendous athleticism.  It alwyays seem like Jared Verse is accidentally working his way into a sack or a pressure.

It never seems like he is cleanly beating a block when he should be.  When a player has such natural athletic gifts the way Jared Verse does you would expect him to jump off the film more consistently.  You just don’t see that type of ability on a consistent basis with Jared Verse.

There are tremendous flashes of power, when he is tuned all the way up, but it’s a wonder to think if he can remain motivated throughout the game if he’s not having success early.

To summarize Jared Verse, he is a classic boom or bust prospect

Jared Verse will be drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft because he has such tremendous natural ability.  You can see all of the hallmarks of a dominant player.  Add to it the general ego of NFL coaches who see that high level of talent and they think to themselves I can be the one to unlock his full potential.  But is that the risk the Chicago Bears want to take with a player in the Top-10?

What Jared Verse offers for the Chicago Bears is likely an ideal target in a trade back scenario.  But just as ideal is the fact that high level pass rushers don’t tend to last long in the NFL Draft and if Dallas Turner goes off the board early, Verse is almost certain to follow with another team.

There are good things and bad things about Jared Verse and I won’t begrudge any NFL team that drafts him early and thinks they can turn him into a dominant Top-10 pass rusher in the NFL.  He has plenty of high level enticing qualities that may be too much for a team to pass up.

But for me, when I see Jared Verse, I can’t help but wonder if he’s totally worth the risk.