Los Angeles Rams Young Star Predicted To Make Explosive Leap In Production In 2025

Jared Verse’s rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams was nothing short of electric. He took home AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, earned a Pro Bowl nod, and quickly cemented himself as one of the most disruptive forces off the edge in the NFL. And yet, despite leading all rookies in pressures and finishing among the league leaders in win rate, he recorded only 4.5 sacks — a stat line that feels more like an anomaly than a reflection of his true impact.

In fact, it’s that sack number — or lack thereof — that has Verse himself focused heading into 2025.

“I probably left around 10 sacks on the field,” the Rams sophomore told The Adam Schefter Podcast. “Just from being a little too inside, a little too this, a little too that. Not taking the extra step. That’s not happening no more.”

Dominant by the Numbers, Unlucky in the Details

NFL: Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams
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The Rams’ 2024 first-rounders’ statistical profile screams future All-Pro. He finished fourth in the NFL in total pressures (77), per Pro Football Focus, trailing only Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, and Jonathan Greenard. As PFF’s Ryan Smith noted, Verse’s 77 pressures are the second-most ever recorded by a rookie in the PFF era (since 2006), behind only Nick Bosa’s 80.

Smith also pointed out that Verse’s 19.6% pass-rush win rate ranked sixth among all edge defenders in 2024, and his performance on “true pass sets” earned him a 90.6 PFF grade — tied with T.J. Watt. By every advanced metric, Verse was elite.

But the sack total didn’t match. His 5.9% sack-to-pressure conversion rate was the lowest in the NFL among edge rushers with 250+ pass-rush snaps. As Smith emphasized, that gap is “an outlier” when compared with other high-pressure producers, all of whom notched double-digit sacks.

“Verse generated at least three pressures in 15 of 16 games for the season, excluding Week 18, when he played just 11 snaps (still produced two pressures),” Smith wrote. “He continued his strong play into the postseason, recording 12 pressures and two sacks across the Rams’ two playoff games. This showed consistency week to week, rather than a couple of blow-up spots that we see from players at times, which is less predictable moving forward.”

A More Intentional Approach

NFL: NFC Divisional Round-Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles
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Verse isn’t hiding from the tape. If anything, he’s obsessed with it.

“I was kind of just going out there, wildin’, doing my little thing,” he said. “Now I realize how important every step is. Everything has to be intentional.”

That attention to detail is already translating. After struggling with missed tackles early, Verse improved drastically in the second half of the season, tightening his pursuit and improving his finishing mechanics. He added two postseason sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown.

A Ceiling as High as Any Defender’s

NFL: NFC Divisional Round-Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles
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Selected 19th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft — the Rams’ first first-round pick since 2016 — Verse quickly validated the pick. Along with his pressure stats, he posted 66 tackles, 18 QB hits, and two forced fumbles.

He’s also earning admiration from opponents. Former Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead recently said:

“I’m OK with never seeing that young man again in my life. … He will be a Defensive Player of the Year one of these days. Mark my words.”

Los Angeles Rams: Verse’s Outlook for 2025 and Beyond

Verse isn’t setting a sack number for Year 2 — but he’s setting a tone.

“All I know is it’s going to be up,” he said. “Because I’m not giving them up like I was last year.”

If his pressure consistency continues and his finishing improves — as Ryan Smith and Verse himself suggest — Jared Verse won’t just be a breakout player in 2025. He could be one of the most feared defenders in football.

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