The DT who is dominating the combine

Highlights

• Braden Fiske impressed at the 2024 NFL Combine with top performances.
• Fiske’s journey displays perseverance and steady improvement.
• Fiske’s exceptional numbers position him as a potential top 50 draft pick at the 2024 NFL Draft.

With the NFL Combine now well underway, players are doing their best to stand out from the crowd.

Former Florida State Seminole and future NFL defensive lineman, Braden Fiske, set the NFL Combine on fire on Thursday with his performances in the 40-yard dash, vertical, and broad jump tests. Projected outside the top 100 by GIVEMESPORT prior to the combine, Fiske may begin to see his draft stock rise after separating himself from the rest of the field this week.

After an impressive outing at the Senior Bowl that put NFL scouts on notice, Fiske was eager to further showcase his explosiveness and athleticism on a bigger stage. After pacing his position group in various tests in Indy, many are beginning to wonder: Where exactly did this guy come from?

Who is Braden Fiske?

Fiske’s journey to the league has been a long one

Born at the turn of the century on January 8, 2000, Fiske is a product of the Michigan football system. A four-year letterman at Michigan City High School, Fiske was also a three-time All-Duneland Conference selection.

After helping his team to the semifinals of the 5A State Playoffs his senior year, it was time for Fiske to move onto the collegiate level. On June 16, 2017, Fiske made his commitment to the Western Michigan Broncos. However, his freshman year in 2018 was inherently forgettable. Fiske accumulated zero tackles, assists, or stops, and only saw 17 snaps in the two games that he played as a red-shirt.

From there, Fiske would begin his ascension. He managed to find 24 and 23 combined tackles in each of his next two seasons, in addition to 3.5 sacks over that span. Once he was a senior, Fiske’s numbers spiked to 42 total tackles with four sacks on the season.

As a fifth-year senior at WMU, Fiske would have his best season in college. Thanks to 59 total tackles, two batted passes, six sacks, and two forced fumbles, he was named to the Second-Team All-MAC roster in 2022. This performance would pave the way for him to find a roster spot on a more prominent team for his final season of college ball.

Fiske enters the transfer portal

FSU gives Fiske the exposure that he needs

After an electric season, Fiske made his way to the transfer portal. After making an official visit to Florida State University on December 16, 2022, he officially transferred to the Seminoles just 10 days later.

Booked as a 3.5-star prospect coming out of high school, the kid from Michigan had finally worked his way to the forefront of a team that could feature him on the national stage on a weekly basis. Having finally been given the opportunity, Fiske made the absolute most of his time spent in Florida.

In his final year of college, Fiske would account for 43 total tackles, with six sacks and nine TFLs to boot. Having helped spur the ‘Noles all the way to the ACC Championship, Fiske left it all out on the field in his last game of college ball.

Most notably, he made the game-sealing sack that delivered him a long-sought after collegiate championship. Having officially worked his way up from a red-shirt freshman to a championship-caliber player, Fiske’s work ethic is second to none. After making such an improbable string of improvements throughout his lengthy college career, Fiske officially set his sights on the NFL Combine.

Fiske impresses at the combine

The former Seminole leads his classmates in multiple categories

Whoever didn’t pay attention to him in college is certainly paying attention now. Posting a 4.78 time for the 40-yard dash as a 6’3″, 292-pound human being is nothing short of insane. However, Fiske is turning heads in multiple departments thanks to his athleticism. He led all defensive tackles in three areas on Thursday:

• 40-yard Dash: 4.78 seconds
• Broad Jump: 9’9″
• Vertical Jump: 33.5″

The FSU alumnus has now established himself as one of the top defensive linemen in the entire class. Not only are his numbers head and shoulders above the rest of his draft mates, and though he didn’t set any NFL combine records, his numbers are beginning to stand out from a historical standpoint.

Fiske’s Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is one of the best that we have seen at the position in years. RAS is defined as “a metric that combines the various categories measured at the NFL Combine—height, weight, wingspan, drill exercises—into one aggregate number that’s then contextualized against other athletes of the same position.” per Yahoo Sports.

Having posted some of the most impressive defensive tackle combine numbers since 1987, Fiske is shaping up to be one of the true steals of the draft. Thanks to his astounding numbers at the combine this week, it should come as no surprise to see him find his way into the top 50 of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Fiske’s story is one of perseverance and work ethic. Since coming up short of the title during his final year in high school, the future NFL rookie has steadily improved upon his skills and natural talent.

As mentioned, he was given a 3.5-star rating as a prospect, and was a red-shirt freshman for a program that has not won a conference championship since 2016.

By the time he graduated, he was an ACC champion. Now, he’s dominating at the NFL combine. Given the rate of his ongoing ascension, there’s truly no telling what limits there are for a man with this much dedication and potential.

Whether he will be able to make a full and successful transition to the NFL is yet to be determined, but what is certain is that whoever is lucky enough to draft him will be receiving a more than dedicated individual who will be capable of delivering consistent results while also being very coachable.

And considering the journey that this guy has been on, that may be an understatement in the best way possible.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.