Arrowhead Pride
The former Florida State defensive lineman would fit right in along Kansas City’s defensive line.
In the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs could be looking to bolster their defensive line — and provide some long-term roster stability.
Florida State’s defensive tackle Braden Fiske is a player who could do that. Here’s what you need to know about him:
As a three-star offensive guard from Michigan City High School in Indiana — just west of South Bend on the shores of Lake Michigan — Fiske received only two collegiate offers: one from Illinois State and one from Western Michigan. There he switched to the defensive line and appeared in 45 games over five seasons, starting 25 games as a redshirt sophomore and junior in Kalamazoo.
Then he entered the transfer portal, finishing his college career with 13 starts at Florida State, where he recorded 43 tackles, (9 for loss), 6.0 sacks and five quarterback hurries, earning third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and making the All-ACC second-team.
Fiske checked into the NFL Scouting Combine at 6 feet 4 and 292 pounds, with 9 3/8-inch hands and 31” arms. But then he lit up the combine during the athletic testing, running the fastest 40-yard dash and recording the best vertical and broad jumps.
This display of athletic ability quickly made Fiske fly up the draft boards. His physical profile is a concern — he is slightly lighter than we would like to see in a defensive tackle and has short arms — but his demonstrated athletic ability should make up for those issues.
Fiske wins with quickness off the snap — and with leverage.
Lined up as a 3-tech on this play, Fiske explodes off the line at the snap, doing a nice job of re-directing himself into the A-gap. The left guard oversets — and the center is late to help in protection — so Fiske splits them to flush the quarterback (Heisman Trophy winner Jaden Daniels) from the pocket.
Fiske knows the play isn't dead until Daniels is down, so he shows off his motor to the end of the play — even as some friendly fire takes him out — as his teammates bring Daniels down.
Here we see Fiske lined up as a 2i-tech on the guard’s inside shoulder. He once again fires off the ball — but this time, he hesitates to set up his move. This changeup fools the guard into being ready for a power move. Fiske quickly engages with him, swiping his hands away to get into the backfield before closing in on the quarterback to earn a sack.
Explosion off the ball and great short area quickness help Fiske make up for his lack of length. Despite his less-imposing size, he also possesses tremendous power and strength that he can use while rushing the passer — but it’s even more impressive to see when he’s playing against the run.
On those plays, Fiske can use tremendous...
