Braden Fiske 2024 NFL Draft Profile
With the 2024 NFL Draft right around the corner, the home of the best draft coverage will be bringing you prospect draft profiles leading up to the NFL Draft. Here we are going to be discussing Florida State’s Braden Fiske. Fiske is arguably the biggest riser throughout the entire pre-draft process, crushing the Senior Bowl and having a fantastic NFL Combine. What does his NFL upside look like? Let’s talk about it.
Braden Fiske started his career at Western Michigan, where he would finish with 13.5 sacks (six in his final season there) and well over 100 tackles. He would transfer to Florida State for the 2023 season and picked up right where he left off, ending the year with six sacks and 43 total tackles. Fiske was a key part of a Seminole defense that would finish 28th in yards per game. While the game tape shows his potential, he went out this off-season and put on a show.
What pops off the tape immediately is his speed and acceleration. Fiske would run a 4.78 40-yard dash at the combine, along with almost a 10-foot broad jump, vertical of 33.5, and 4.37 20-yard shuttle, which would be tied for first in his group. We knew he was quick but this is legit stuff. He uses this speed along with solid upper-body strength to leverage his linemen. The quick feet and great bend allow him to get around the slower guards to cause havoc in the backfield. The only downside to Fiske from a measurable standpoint is the fact that he has abnormally short arms for the position (31 inches).
But speed isn’t the only trick Braden Fiske has in the bag. He is very strong in his upper body (26 reps on the bench press) and good punch at the point of attack. The motor always seems to be running on high with Fiske, which is something very valuable out of a defensive tackle. Fiske also gets off the snap quick, allowing him to get into the chest of his blocker easily to have his way. My only real knock is that his base needs some beefing up, as he is not as good in run blocking as he is getting after the passer.
I have a man crush on Braden Fiske, and I am not embarrassed about it. The crush started at the Senior Bowl, and only grew watching him at the combine. I have an early second-round grade on Fiske, and would very easily use a top-40 pick on him. Fiske has really great upside, and I think he could be a solid contributor out of the gates for an NFL team. This DT class is deceptively good, and he is among the best.
