Tag: Braden Fiske

Trade value chart says Rams got fleeced in deal with Panthers for Braden Fiske

According to the trade value chart, the Rams were on the losing end of their deal with the Panthers to draft Braden Fiske

Trades during the NFL draft are never perfectly even for both teams, but it seems the Los Angeles Rams were squarely on the losing end of their deal with the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.

The Rams traded up from No. 52 to 39, giving up the 155th overall pick and a 2025 second-rounder to get the deal over the finish line. The Rams used the 39th selection to take Braden Fiske out of Florida State, a player they clearly coveted given how much they traded to get him.

Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap laid out the point value of the trade based on the value chart, and the Rams apparently got fleeced. Their picks were worth 2,334 points, while the 39th pick was only worth 1,143 points.

It won’t matter much if Fiske pans out and becomes a productive player for the Rams, but that was a lot given up by Los Angeles to draft the former Seminole defensive tackle.

The hope is that the Rams win a bunch of games next season and have a later pick anyway, driving down the value of the 2025 second-rounder they gave up.

Rams NFL Draft grade: Braden Fiske, DL, Florida State 39th overall

2024 NFL draft grade for the Rams selecting Florida State DT Braden Fiske

The Los Angeles Rams double dip in both the defensive line and players from Florida State after snagging edge rusher Jared Verse in the first round and now have landed Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske.

Fiske projects inside as Aaron Donald’s replacement from day one, and while they are obviously not the same player, Fiske should be able to provide some of the pass rush void left behind, along with Kobie Turner and fellow rookie Jared Verse.

An explosive athlete who has a sudden get-off and can blow through top college offensive linemen, Fiske is going to make his impact felt along the defensive line early. While he looms in one of the largest NFL shadows, expect Fiske to produce right away.

Grade: B

Rams trade up 13 spots, select Florida State DT Braden Fiske in Round 2

The Rams moved up 13 spots to draft Florida State DT Braden Fiske, giving up a 5th-rounder and 2025 2nd-rounder to make it happen

After attempting to trade up for Brock Bowers on Thursday night, the Los Angeles Rams struck a deal on Friday night in Round 2 instead. They moved up 13 spots from No. 52 to 39, selecting Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske.

Fiske was college teammates with the Rams’ top pick, Jared Verse, at Florida State so this is a reunion between the two defensive linemen. With Aaron Donald retired, it makes complete sense that the Rams would target a defensive tackle, especially one as athletic and with as much upside as Fiske has.

The Rams did pay a hefty price to go get him, though. In addition to the 52nd overall pick, the Rams gave up No. 155 in the fifth round and a second-rounder in 2025.

Like Verse, Fiske was a player who transferred to Florida State, joining the Seminoles in 2023. Last season, he had six sacks and nine tackles for a loss to go with 43 total tackles.

He ran a 4.78 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, posting a 33.5-inch vertical and 26 reps on the bench press.

Chargers mock draft roundup: Who Los Angeles is projected to take in Rounds 2-3

Analysts project what the Chargers will do with their picks on Day 2.

The Chargers came out of the first round with offensive tackle Joe Alt. After the selection, Los Angeles should have their focus on wide receiver, cornerback and the interior part of the defensive line.

General manager Joe Hortiz will have picks No. 37 and 69 to add more talent to the roster.

With that, here’s a glimpse at who L.A. could add on Friday based on what a few mock drafts are projecting.

CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso 

Round 2: WR Keon Coleman, Florida State

Analysis: “Keon Coleman is a young wideout who plays a tick faster than his timed speed and flashes acrobatic catch skill.”

Round 3: LB Junior Colson, Michigan

NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein

Round 2: DT Braden Fiske, Florida State

Analysis: “Fiske is all gas and no brakes on every single snap, which is exactly what Jim Harbaugh is looking for.”

Round 3: WR Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky

Pro Football Focus’ John Kosko & Trevor Sikkema

Round 2: DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois

Analysis: “The Chargers need to improve almost everywhere on defense. They find a versatile defensive lineman in Newton. He has some physical limitations due to his size and lack of natural flexibility, but his hand usage, pass-rush tools and block-shedding ability allow him to be very productive in any alignment from three-technique to five-technique.”

Round 3: RB Jonathon Brooks, Texas

“Brooks is an ideal blend of size, speed, strength and agility. Though limited in snap totals, he has good vision in both gap and zone run schemes. If he can get back to form following his torn ACL, he has all the goods to be a starting running back in the NFL.”

NBC Sports’ Eric Froton

Round 2: CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa

Analysis: “A tweener who many scouts profile as a slot corner/safety in addition to having game-breaking punt return prowess, DeJean allowed a 38% catch rate with just 44 YAC on 20 receptions this season. The Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and member of the famed Bruce Feldman “Freaks List”, DeJean could be the Chargers’ new version of Eric Weddle.”

Round 3: WR Roman Wilson, Michigan

ESPN’s Steve Muench

Round 2: WR Ladd McConkey

Analysis: “The Chargers address their most pressing need at receiver after losing Mike Williams and Keenan Allen this offseason, snagging the No. 31 overall player on my board.”

Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame

Round 2: OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon

Round 3: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler

Round 2: LB Junior Colson, Michigan

Round 3: RB Blake Corum, Michigan

Analysis: “Given the Chargers’ need for another running back and Jim Harbaugh’s affinity for Corum, this match feels almost too obvious.”

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar

Round 2: DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois

Cameron Jordan has a hot take on Saints’ first-round pick: ‘I’m very biased’

Cameron Jordan has a hot take on what the Saints should do with their first-round pick: ‘I’m very biased’

Everyone has their own ideas about what the New Orleans Saints should do with their first round pick in the 2024 NFL draft — including players already on the team. Cameron Jordan sat down with NFL Network to preview the first round of selections on Thursday, and he shared his take on where the Saints should look to improve with the 14th overall pick.

“Who do I want? I’m very biased,” Jordan laughed. “If y’all are thinking top-10, offense galore, I’m thinking No. 14, defense. Run me the big defensive tackle. I like the little Florida State kid. I really like a Texas D-tackle. Just know, if it doesn’t happen in the first I’m still looking for our second or our fifth round pick. I think we have like four fifth round picks, we could trade up.”

The players Jordan is referring to there have been linked to the Saints at different points in this process: Florida State’s Braden Fiske and Texas products Byron Murphy II and T’Vondre Sweat.

Jordan’s position coach Todd Grantham attended both school’s pro day workouts and personally put Fiske through his paces. While Murphy is someone who could be realistic at No. 14, Fiske and Sweat are each expected to be picked later in the draft, which is why Jordan sees them as possible trade targets.

But why does he see defensive tackle as such a high priority? Jordan is always asking for more linemen around draft time in these media spots, whether it’s another pass rusher or more depth on the interior. At this point it’s part of his brand. Murphy would be an awesome pairing with Bryan Bresee in the middle of the line, but the Saints really can’t afford to not address their offensive tackle spots in Round 1. Maybe they’ll surprise us and make Jordan happy.

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Giants pass on quarterbacks in latest 7-round mock from PFF

In the latest seven-round mock draft from PFF, the New York Giants pass on quarterbacks entirely in favor of bolstering their roster.

The 2024 NFL draft is exactly a week away and, yes we know, you are weary of mock drafts, but let us hit you with one more — a seven-round mock from the folks at Pro Football Focus.

In this mock, the New York Giants do not make any moves — up or back — pass on a quarterback and select who many believe could be the best player in this draft class in LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick in Round 1.

Nabers’ movement skills are rare, even at the NFL level. His ability to change direction yet continue to accelerate makes him an open-target specialist in the slot and on the outside. He has the kind of athleticism that demands a defense to know where he is at all times as a future WR1.

In the second round, at No. 47 overall, the Giants fortify their already solid front seven with Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske.

Fiske’s measurements are not ideal, but he has an NFL-level football IQ and pass-rush quickness to be a potential impact player as a 4-3 defensive tackle, even with some run-defense deficiencies.

In Round 3, the Giants select Oregon cornerback Khyree Jackson with the 70th overall pick. It is a position of utmost need this offseason.

Jackson is an alluring prospect because his combination of size and athleticism doesn’t come around often. However, he must anticipate routes better and not rely on his recovery speed as much. If he can do this, he can be a starting-caliber cornerback in the NFL with a shutdown skill set.

On Day 3, the Giants add a running back (USC’s MarShawn Lloyd), another cornerback in Nehemiah Pritchett of Auburn, and an offensive tackle, Louisiana’s Nathan Thomas.

PFF grades this draft an A. In reviewing the draft, the Giants get themselves a much-needed offensive weapon and stud in Nabers and bolster their roster with the other five picks.

Of course, we don’t know who they passed on in favor of this group, but this effort appears to be pretty much what many experts are expecting from general manager Joe Schoen come next week in Detroit.

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Mock draft watch: Breaking down the Lions haul in The Athletic’s 7-round projections

Mock draft watch: Breaking down the Lions haul in The Athletic’s 7-round projections from Dane Brugler

The latest projections from longtime NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler from The Athletic are now out, and it’s a massive undertaking. Brugler projected all seven rounds in his latest mock draft.

For the Detroit Lions, Brugler projected a trade out of the first round. This mock draft has the Las Vegas Raiders moving up to No. 29 and sending the Lions No. 44 and No. 77 overall so the Raiders can snag Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

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That leaves Detroit with two second-round picks and two more in the third. The Day 2 picks focus on most of the team’s primary needs.

Brugler’s final haul for Detroit:

2 (44). Zach Frazier, G/C, West Virginia
2 (61). Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
3 (73). Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
3 (77). Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest
5 (164). Braiden McGregor, Edge, Michigan
6 (201). Will Reichard, K, Alabama
6 (205). Sione Vaki, S, Utah
7 (249). Johnny Dixon, CB, Penn State

A lot of those names should look familiar for Lions fans. Frazier, Fiske and Polk have all been common second-round names in recent Detroit projections. Selecting a kicker in the sixth would surely be a debatable point in the fanbase, as would ignoring the giant hole at offensive tackle behind starters Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell–especially in light of Decker’s recent foot surgeries (yes, plural).

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None of the players selected here would be projected to start in 2024, a prevailing theme for Detroit’s championship-caliber roster.

2024 NFL Draft: Florida State DL Braden Fiske scouting report

Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske had an amazing scouting combine, but his NFL team had better have a clear plan for his on-field success.

There are those draft prospects who show up at the scouting combine ready to demolish every test, forcing NFL evaluators to go back to their tape with a new eye for things. Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske was one such prospect at the 2024 combine, as he put up testing numbers among the best for any interior defensive lineman in recent memory.

Fiske did destroy the 2024 combine in a positive sense, but what does that mean for his NFL future? After four seasons at Western Michigan, Fiske transferred to Florida State in time for the 2023 season, amassing six sacks, 28 total pressures, 29 solo tackles, and 26 stops against stronger competition. His athleticism on tape absolutely aligns with what we saw at the combine, but Fiske’s deployment at the next level will be crucial to his success — whoever drafts him had better have a very clear plan.

PLUSES

— Preposterous combine numbers show up on tape when he has to chase down quarterbacks and running backs in the open field.

— Has a great move to cross the face of the blocker and slip in to pressure.

— Shoots out of the gate right off the snap; less reactive blockers could get beaten before they get their hands up.

— Can be dynamite on stunts and games with the ability to cross multiple gaps with ease.

MINUSES

— Really short arms (31″, third percentile for IDL), and he’ll get negated by power and double-teams without more of a plan with his hands.

— More of an immediate speed-rusher than a guy who will win leverage battles.

— Might be maxed-out physically; not sure if you can add more than his 292 pounds without making him look more like a guard.

Fiske is an interesting prospect — a tweener in a lot of ways. His height may preclude him from winning leverage, and his weight gets in the way in power situations.

His NFL team will need to have a VERY clear plan for him. I’d put him on the edge more often than the Seminoles did, just to take advantage of his unusual athleticism, and he could be a real boss in a stunt-heavy front.

Steelers host FSU DT Braden Fiske for pre-draft visit

Braden Fiske is a highly-athletic defensive lineman out of Florida State.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have some pretty clear needs for the 2024 NFL draft. The team needs a starting center, starting wide receiver and starting cornerback. So it would be exactly like the Steelers to have these obvious needs and instead opt for a defensive lineman in the first round.

We bring this up because the Steelers are hosting former Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske for a Top 30 visit. Fiske is a crazy good athlete at 6-foot-4 and 292 pounds. He is a disruptive force whether it lines up inside or outside along the defensive line and fits perfectly with what the Steelers want in a defensive lineman.

Would it shock us to see the Steelers select Fiske? Not at all. Pittsburgh used a second-round pick on Keeanu Benton in 2023 and he’s a star in the making. With Cam Heyward getting older and DeMarvin Leal stalled out in his development, adding Fiske does make a lot of sense.

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