Jared Verse was a 0-star recruit with only 1 FCS offer. He was just drafted in the 1st round.

As much as recruiting rankings have improved over the last decade — and yes, they have improved dramatically over the years — analysts still miss players frequently. Some five-star recruits pan out (look at Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in the draft); others flame out at the collegiate level.

Jared Verse was one of the misses but on the other end of the spectrum. A zero-star recruit in high school with only one FCS offer, Verse worked his way from playing on both sides of the ball at Central Columbia High School (Bloomsburg, Penn.) to Albany to Power Five Florida State all the way to the NFL draft.

On Thursday night, he was taken by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round with pick No. 19. He has come a long way since his 247Sports recruiting page looked like this:

According to his Florida State bio, Verse was a three-time All-Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference (PHAC) athlete honoree in high school. As a senior, he recorded 14 tackles and three forced fumbles on the defensive line while grabbing 15 receptions for 385 yards as a tight end.

Verse was a three-sport athlete, playing basketball and running track for Central Columbia. According to his bio, he won a state championship in the 4×400 relay.

With that versatile skill set, he went on to star at Albany, appearing in 15 games over two seasons and recording a total of 74 tackles, including 21.5 for loss with 13.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and one pass breakup, according to his Albany and Florida State bios. He led the Colonial Athletic Association in tackles for loss and tied for second in sacks.

At Florida State, Verse recorded 89 tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss and 18.0 sacks over two seasons. The 6-foot-4, 254-pound lineman found a home — and the ultimate recognition after entering his collegiate career with so little.

He wasn’t the only low-ranked former high school recruit to be picked in the first round. New Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, drafted with the 22nd pick, was ranked the No. 1,830 player in the class of 2020. The Packers’ No. 25 pick, Jordan Morgan, was ranked as the 1,581-best player in the class of 2019. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the penultimate pick in the first round, was ranked No. 1,250 in high school.