Verse had nine sacks each of the last two seasons to complete his climb from FCS red-shirt to possible top-10 pick.
Michael Conroy/AP Photos
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Throughout the first two seasons of general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus running the Bears, they tried to win without the two most important pieces on any roster: a reliable passer at quarterback and a nightmarish pass rush.
It didn’t work. And it probably never will.
The results were unsurprising. Over the last two seasons, the Bears’ offense had the fewest yards passing 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 Nos. 1 and 9 overall draft picks. They appear to be zeroing in on top quarterback prospect Caleb Williams from USC with the first pick, and 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 Friday, where Verse opted against working out but was eager to meet with scouts, coaches and executives. 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 at the Senior Bowl in January, but his stock has soared to the point that he’s now expected to be a second-round pick. The Bears’ next pick after No. 9 is in the third round at No. 75 overall, and Fiske won’t be around then.
Poles hit a homerun on his midseason trade for Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat last season, and he led the Bears with six sacks despite playing just nine games for them. 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 you with a veteran guy, he knows I’m a young guy 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 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 red-shirting his first season at Albany in the FCS to being projected as a top-10 pick.
He got rolling in 2021, though, with 9 1/2 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 them to their best season — 13-1 and just outside the College Football Playoff. He 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 very 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.