Rams make a rare first-round NFL draft pick, taking Florida State defensive end Jared Verse 19th

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams selected Florida State defensive end Jared Verse with the 19th pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

Verse had two productive seasons for the Seminoles, finishing with 13 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in 25 games, after starting his career at FCS-level Albany.

Verse joins a Rams defensive front that no longer has Aaron Donald, who retired in March. Donald, a three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time first-team All-Pro, had been the centerpiece of the Rams' defense since their return to Los Angeles in 2016.

Verse was the Rams’ first first-round pick since the team traded up to select quarterback Jared Goff first overall in 2016. Sean McVay became Los Angeles' coach the following year.

The Rams included their 2017 selection in the deal with Tennessee that allowed them to take Goff. The next year, Los Angeles sent its top pick to New England to acquire wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The Rams traded out of the first round in 2019, moving back in a deal with Atlanta.

The Rams’ 2020 and 2021 first-rounders went to Jacksonville in a trade for defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Their 2022 and 2023 picks went to Detroit in the move that landed quarterback Matthew Stafford.

All that wheeling and dealing helped Los Angeles reach the Super Bowl after the 2018 season and win the Lombardi Trophy in its home stadium three years later. General manager Les Snead wore a T-shirt during the Rams' Super Bowl parade that profanely mocked critics who suggested he should hold onto more draft picks.

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Dan Greenspan, The Associated Press