FSU’s Braden Fiske completely changed NFL Draft narrative after eye-opening Scouting Combine performance
Braden Fiske finds his NFL Draft stock rising rapidly following his impressive performances at both the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. The former Florida State defensive lineman led all defensive tackles with a 40-yard dash time of 4.78 seconds, vertical jump of 33.5″ and broad jump of 9’9″ at the combine in Indianapolis.
Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy saw firsthand the kind of impact Fiske had on defense at the Senior Bowl in February. He believes Fiske was likely a fourth-round pick at the start of the draft process, but has catapulted himself into a potential second-rounder.
“He’s taken advantage of the process,” Nagy said. “I don’t think he gets out of the second round. Probably doesn’t get out of the top 50 picks because it’s not just the physical stuff. What he looked like in the drills, he looked like a jumbo linebacker. Compared to all the other D-linemen, the twitch, the suddenness, the change of direction, the burst. He moved like a smaller man. He looked different than all those other guys. He was almost unblockable down here in Mobile.
“You’re getting a guy who’s really a tempo-setter, tone-setter in that D-line and probably for your whole defense. That was the thing coming into Mobile. …In a 5-6 week span, he has completely changed the narrative from an early Day 3 guy to a guy that’s in the top 50 conversation.”
Fiske played just one season at Florida State after spending the first four years of his college career at Western Michigan. He immediately stepped in to make an impact with 43 tackles (nine for loss) and six sacks. He ended his college career with a total of 19.5 sacks, 36 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
It’s not just what Fiske does on the field that makes him such an intriguing prospect for NFL teams. He also has a natural ability to lead and would make a great locker room presence from what Nagy has seen of him.
Combined with his combine performance, that pushes him even higher up draft boards.
“I think it’s really valuable,: Nagy said. “You can always go back to the tape, even with the Senior Bowl. What I tell people about the predraft process is it’s really a short period of time from the Senior Bowl in early February to the end of April to get to know these guys. …To sit across from him and hear his story from him, that’s the impactful stuff. When you’re hearing his story and where he came from in Michigan City, Indiana a blue-collar area near Gary, Indiana, going to Western Michigan and betting on himself, going to Florida State, that’s the stuff teams are gonna grab onto.
“That’s the stuff that when you get into April and you’re having those final meetings about, ‘where do we need to take this guy?’ They’re all trying to get him as late as they can possibly take him. You keep going back to that stuff. ‘Guys, he’s gonna change our room. He’s gonna change our defense. He’s gonna change the effort we play with.’ Those things are gonna knock him up even beyond the physical talent.”
We’ll see where Fiske lands when the NFL Draft begins on April 25 in Detroit. For now, however, he’s done almost everything he can to put himself in the best possible position.