Florida State DE Jared Verse could be what Bears need as he rises toward top of draft

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — During the Bears’ first two seasons under general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus, they tried to win without a reliable passer and a strong pass rush.

It didn’t work.

The results were not surprising. Over the last two seasons, the Bears’ offense had the fewest passing yards in the NFL, and their defense had the fewest sacks. They went 10-24.

No matter how many other parts of the roster Poles squares away or how clever Eberflus is as a defensive play-caller, the Bears aren’t going anywhere until they fix those problems.

Nothing is guaranteed, but they can address both with the first and ninth overall draft picks. They appear to be zeroing in on top quarterback prospect Caleb Williams from USC with the first pick. At No. 9, they should take a long look at Florida State defensive end Jared Verse.

The Bears were among the many teams at FSU’s pro day, where Verse opted against working out but was eager to meet with scouts, coaches and executives Friday. Their NFC North rivals — the Packers, Vikings and Lions — were there, too.

Upstart Seminoles defensive tackle Braden Fiske put himself solidly on the Bears’ radar with his strong performance in the Senior Bowl in January, but his stock has soared to the point that he’s expected to be a second-round pick. The Bears’ next pick after No. 9 is in the third round at No. 75 overall. Fiske won’t be around then.

Poles hit a home run on his midseason trade for Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat. He led the Bears with six sacks despite playing only nine games for them last season. But Eberflus acknowledged last month, “We’ve got to make sure that we have somebody opposite of Sweat.”

Many consider Verse, 23, the top defensive end in his draft class, though Alabama’s Dallas Turner and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu would argue otherwise. ESPN’s Mel Kiper slotted Verse at No. 9 for the Bears this week, saying, “He has the complete set of tools to be a devastating pass rusher at the next level if he can put everything together.”

And pairing him with Sweat, a five-year veteran who made the Pro Bowl last season, would fit strategically and financially as Poles tries to finish off his rebuild and deliver a contender.

“You land with a veteran guy, he knows I’m a young guy, [and] I’m still going to need help,” Verse said at the NFL Scouting Combine when asked about playing with Sweat. “He’ll be able to direct me in the right path, fix a couple of things that I might need help with that I didn’t see in college.”

Few have had a journey quite like Verse, who went from redshirting his first season at Albany in the FCS to being projected as a top-10 pick.

He got rolling in 2021, though, with 9½ sacks and earned the chance to transfer to the Seminoles. Not only did he have nine sacks in each of his two seasons with them, but he helped lead the Seminoles to a 13-1 mark in 2023, when they just missed out on the College Football Playoff. Verse developed into an NFL-ready defensive end along the way.

“My first year here, my biggest issue was playing the run, and this past season, I made the biggest leap I could’ve made and became a great run defender,” Verse said recently. “This last season was about redefining things and fine-tuning things.”

For the Bears, it’s rare to have a chance at that caliber of pass rusher at No. 9, but as they know well, the top of the draft is stacked with quarterbacks and wide receivers. Their choice could come down to the third-best wide receiver, second-best offensive tackle or best edge player. That’s a great situation.