THOUSAND OAKS — When Byron Young was a rookie last year in his first offseason practices with the Rams, he was constantly questioning whether he belonged. It wasn’t until late August, as the Rams held joint practices with the Las Vegas Raiders, that the third-round pick found his stride and quieted his doubts.
But as he has watched rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske through three weeks of organized team activities, Young has come away with a different impression of their mindsets.
“I definitely wasn’t like that,” Young said. “I feel like they just caught on real fast to everything. They’re willing to learn and they’re learning. Watching them not make the same mistake, or not even making that mistake in the first place.”
The Rams invested heavily in their defensive front during the NFL draft to reinforce Young and fellow second-year player Kobie Turner. Verse, an outside linebacker, was the team’s first-round pick. The next day, the Rams traded a future second rounder to move up and select Fiske, a defensive tackle and Verse’s Florida State teammate.
Both Verse and Fiske will be relied upon as rookies following the retirement of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. There will likely be some kind of rotation along the defensive front – Verse mixing in with Young and Michael Hoecht, while Fiske alternates with Turner and Bobby Brown – but both the former Seminoles will have to be NFL-ready for the Rams’ remade defense.
It didn’t take long, though, for both to feel comfortable in practice, albeit without pads.
“I think the first couple plays, ‘Ok, bet, we’re playing ball again,’” Fiske said. “It’s been solid. Just a lot of learning and adjusting to the pace, which isn’t as crazy as I thought it was going to be.”
“The first day I was like, ‘I gotta come out here and do what I have to do to make a play.’ But the way our defense is run, if you do your job, you’re going to be able to handle everything you have to handle,” Verse added. “So after that, a couple snaps, it’s just football. It’s just a higher level, everybody’s good now.”
Verse is also going through a position change, from his college spot of defensive end to outside linebacker in the Rams’ 3-4 scheme. He knew it was a possibility as he prepared for the draft after watching friend and current Raiders outside linebacker Amari Gainer make the same transition. Verse started working on dropbacks and pass coverage during the pre-draft process.
But he’s still primarily a pass rusher, and he’s learned that by moving outside he has more options at his disposal.
“I have a lot more space, I have a lot more freedom. I have a lot more responsibilities at the same time but a lot more freedom to take this chance because I know this guy is going to be able to cover me,” Verse said. “I have to be aware of the things I have to take care of.”
But for now, the Rams are happy with the early returns from their top two picks.
“I’ve really been impressed with Jared Verse; he’s done a great job of really imposing his will, continuing to learn,” head coach Sean McVay said Tuesday. “Braden Fiske has really just started to step up. You start to feel him in these practices.”
BRIEFLY
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV has been on the sidelines during OTAs with what McVay described as a knee injury, adding that the team is just being cautious with their defensive captain. … McVay said he had no new update to add on the status of contract negotiations with quarterback Matthew Stafford, repeating that he’d prefer to keep details “in house.”
