We are about 24 hours after the huge trade that sent Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. In return, Browns GM Andrew Berry received DE Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick. In terms of blockbuster trades, the Garrett trade was unusual in that it wasn’t just draft considerations heading to the team, which also has many fans wondering if Cleveland got enough in the deal.
According to all the reports and Berry himself, the inclusion
of Verse was the key reason the trade actually happened. Verse has a lot to get fans excited about, but the deal was not the three first-round picks and more than many expected if Garrett were to be traded. It is much easier to understand “value” in sports terminology in terms of the number of draft picks a player is worth.
So, to try to quantify the value the Browns received for Garrett, we need to try to figure out the draft pick value of Verse. According to Bill Barnwell of ESPN, if Verse were on the trade market, the Rams would have likely gotten a first-round pick along with “a significant additional selection, potentially a second-round pick” for him. In grading the trade, ESPN’s Seth Walder noted that Verse is a very good pass rusher and an elite run stopper, which led to Cleveland getting an “A” grade for acquiring a player who was ranked as the 10th-best defensive end in the NFL after just his rookie season.
Walder also noted that the difference in contract between the two players increased the value of Verse in the deal.
According to SI’s Albert Breer, Los Angeles “tried, right up until the end, to find a way not to include Verse in the deal.” Breer also defined Verse’s value in this way in a piece on Tuesday:
Verse isn’t Garrett. But he’s a very, very, very good player, who’s already made two Pro Bowls, and whom the Rams regarded as a latter-day Terrell Suggs. They hated letting him go and fought it all the way to the very end.
The Rams had to include Verse to make the deal for Garrett, but losing Verse did sting the Rams.
And that should be part of the context when you consider the Browns’ return.
Cleveland got a “dream player” in return for Garrett:
According to Daryl Ruiter, the Rams valued Verse “at two first-round picks” and did not want to give him up.
In a poll of other SB Nation team site Producers (in our Slack channel), the general consensus was that Verse was worth a first-round pick plus another high pick or player of substance.
You will notice that only Barnwell and Ruiter were willing to put specific pick numbers on how valuable Verse is. Part of the reason for that is that top edge rushers on rookie contracts are never traded away. Much like quarterbacks, offensive tackles, and wide receivers, teams do not trade away cheap talent at those positions. Even the Micah Parsons trade was for a player looking to reset the contract market at the position.
Given the NFL rules, Verse isn’t even extension eligible until after next year, at the earliest.
If we take Barnwell’s valuation (a 1st and a 2nd), instead of Ruiters (two 1sts), the Browns trade return for Myles Garrett could be valued as:
- 2 first-round picks
- 2 second-round picks
- 1 third-round pick
It is also quite possible that, if Berry turned around and put Verse on the trade market, Cleveland’s return could be even more than that.
How valuable do you think Verse would be on the trade market? If we assume Barnwell’s valuation, how do you feel about those 5 picks as the return for Garrett?
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