Rams Select Braden Fiske, DL at #39 Overall.

[Allen2McVay]

Would love to get more info on that

I will make a few calls, contact my sources and get back to you.

 

[Memphis Ram]

In the NFL you get held. It never gets called. His short arms could be a real problem.

I'd be more concerned if he wasn't so quick off the snap and if so many interior Olinemen didn't have short arms, too.

 

[kurtfaulk]

 

[dang]

In the NFL you get held. It never gets called. His short arms could be a real problem.

How long were Donald’s and Suh’s arms? Asking because I don’t know.

 

[Kupped]

How long were Donald’s and Suh’s arms? Asking because I don’t know.

Donald's were almost two inches longer... Same with Suh.

I don't know how Fiske will end up.. I know his arms are almost outlier level short.

 

[Allen2McVay]

Donald's were almost two inches longer... Same with Suh.

The fact that you were able to answer @dang's question so quickly is both impressive and concerning.

Are you getting out enough?

 

[dang]

Donald's were almost two inches longer... Same with Suh.

I don't know how Fiske will end up.. I know his arms are almost outlier level short.

Great point. I know in my experience that additional two inches would have definitely upped my performance.

 

[WestCoastRam]

The fact that you were able to answer @dang's question so quickly is both impressive and concerning.

Are you getting out enough?

Calm down he's a tailor

 

[Memphis Ram]

How long were Donald’s and Suh’s arms? Asking because I don’t know.

Suh 33 1/2
Donald 32 5/8

Others found:
Adrian Hutchinson 32 1/8
Ed Oliver 31 ¾
Kobie Turner 31 3/8
Greg Gaines 31 ¼
Braden Fiske 31
Calijah Kancey 30 5/8

 

[majrleaged]

I'd be more concerned if he wasn't so quick off the snap and if so many interior Olinemen didn't have short arms, too.

Right, it doesn't mean he can't perform. It is something that will be a big challenge considering how the NFL treats hold.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Suh 33 1/2
Donald 32 5/8

Others found:
Adrian Hutchinson 32 1/8
Ed Oliver 31 ¾
Kobie Turner 31 3/8
Greg Gaines 31 ¼
Braden Fiske 31
Calijah Kancey 30 5/8

Greg Gaines could do some magical stuff with just 31 1/4 for what he was.

 

[majrleaged]

Greg Gaines could do some magical stuff with just 31 1/4 for what he was.

True, but he is more of a run stuffer. He used power more than anything. It took him a couple of years to come into his own.
Fiske has power, but I think his splash plays all come from his quickness. His ability to keep hands off him.

But who knows, The Rams probably are already planning for this and will only use him in passing situations. Doing stunts with Verse. If the Offense has the success we all are hoping for he might get a lot of opportunities and all the hand wringing I am doing won't matter.

 

[Loyal]

Where will Braden Fiske play for the Los Angeles Rams? | Sporting News

The Rams traded up to draft Braden Fiske in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but where he fits on the Rams roster is a mystery.

ng-sportingnews.com

​

​

Where will Braden Fiske play for the Los Angeles Rams?​

AJ Schulte
04-26-2024•6 min read

Bleacher Report

The Los Angeles Rams made a massive trade up in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, a move that has drawn plenty of criticism, to select Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske 39th overall. The Rams have needed a defensive tackle since Aaron Donald's retirement, so in a vacuum, the pick makes sense. The trade UP for him is a head-scratcher, but the position itself is what they needed, right?
Well...sort of.

I broke this down in a previous article of mine discussing why the Rams shouldn't panic into a first-round defensive tackle to replace Donald (something they seemingly did anyways a round later), but from what we can gleam the Rams' defensive fronts to be, Fiske's fit is...a bit odd.

In the Rams' base odd front looks, they'll look something like this:
EDGE
DE/4
NT/0T
DE/4
EDGE

and their sub-package (third-down) looks with two defensive linemen and "four-down" looks are something like this:
EDGE
3T
1T
EDGE

The 3T, in their sub-package looks (typically a 2-4-5), is the primary interior pass rusher of the unit, the role that Aaron Donald played and the spot that the Rams have said Kobie Turner will likely move into. Turner will also expand into playing more of the DE/4i looks in their base defense, something he didn't do last year. The 1T is usually aligned in between the center and guard and typically handles a lot more double-teams. Both the 1 and the 3 are still "one-gapping", but usually 1T players are bigger in size (for the Rams, think Greg Gaines) and help shore up the team's run defense.

The Rams are a pretty heavy "5-1" front team (an offshoot of a 3-3-5), using it as their main base defense, and they have for years ever since Brandon Staley revitalized that unit. The 3-down linemen in that grouping are playing 4-0-4 techniques. They're all "two gapping" or occupying blockers and handling double-teams in the run game. Typically, much like the 1T, these players are bigger, stronger players that can control the line of scrimmage.

The Rams needed players to play the other defensive end spot in base looks and the 1T opposite of Turner. These players have a little more mass in order to two-gap effectively, take on double-teams, and hold up against the run while still offering some value as a pass rusher. The problem is: That's not where Braden Fiske fits.

Fiske is a three-technique, much like what Kobie Turner is. He's undersized and doesn't have a lot of mass on him. Ask any draft analyst out there and I doubt you'll find anyone thrilled about Fiske playing the run in a two-gap approach or handling double-teams as a 1T or 4i. I wrote in my scouting report that Fiske would be best served as a sub-package 3T in the NFL early in his career.

What about the idea of putting Fiske at 3T and keeping Turner at the role he played last season? The idea does hold some merit, but the role Turner played as the 1T doesn't suit him. The Rams played him there as the best way to get both him and Donald on the field at the same time and Donald could occupy multiple blockers. Turner isn't best served taking on double teams, but rather in the pass-rushing role the Rams seem set to play him at because he's also an undersized lineman. He's a great three-technique who they also plan on playing in base, something Turner didn't do last year.

The Rams played "light boxes" (six or fewer defenders in the box) at the *highest* rate last year, #1 in the NFL, and that number likely isn't changing anytime soon. That works when you have Aaron Donald occupying multiple blockers, but they don't have Aaron Donald anymore. Instead, the Rams have two undersized linemen who don't really have the power or size to occupy blockers and keep linebackers clean. Both are best suited for attacking roles pursuing the quarterback. How does this translate into helping them maintain their light box fronts moving forward? I'm not quite sure.

All this begs the question: Where is Braden Fiske going to play to make him worth the massive trade-up the team paid for him? How can the Rams get him and Turner out there in a way that doesn't compromise their run defense? That answer remains a bit more complicated.

I don't believe Fiske will be a player the team relies on in base formation. You just simply cannot ask him to two-gap and occupy inside. He doesn't have the size for that. This was the issue the Rams had with Kobie Turner last season, as he rarely played in base. Maybe the other player opposite of Turner in base front will now be Michael Hoecht, filling in for Jonah Williams, but that has its own risks over their depth and both he and Turner's ability to play those roles.

Fiske should see the field in their sub-package looks. However, the team has to be wary about both he and Turner's sawn-off length and size getting taken advantage of in the run game. This could be mitigated by the Rams having an established linebacker unit, the vision they had when they signed Bobby Wagner, but they don't have anything close to resembling that, so I won't bother going down that line.

Long story short, the Rams traded up to take a player that doesn't seem to solve the needs of their defensive front post-Donald, doesn't project well to be a three-down player, and might be better off rotating with Kobie Turner instead of complementing him. It's a risky gamble on their parts and they'll need it to pay off fast if they want to keep winning.

A lot of the same "weaknesses" were ascribed to AD before he played a snap. Being "Undersized" would cause him to be washed out by bigger Olinemen, they said. I'm not saying that Fiske is AD, but I'm not selling him short until watching him play a little bit, at least.

 

[jjab360]

I'm still lost on how 6'4, 293 lbs is undersized. Isn't the stereotypical DT size 6'3, 300 lbs? He probably dropped a few pounds to run a faster 40 at the combine and apparently it worked because 4.78 is insane.

Watching him play on film he looked the largest between all the top DTs to me, very wide body big frame.

I can't wait to watch our DL next season. Kobie was a freaking find last year and apparently they graded this guy much higher as a prospect they couldn't leave the draft without.

 

[JimY53]

NFL executives gave their thoughts on the Rams trade for Braden Fiske

The Athletic’s Mike Sando shared what NFL executives had to say about the Rams trade for Braden Fiske

www.turfshowtimes.com

NFL executives gave their thoughts on the Rams trade for Braden Fiske​

The Athletic’s Mike Sando shared what NFL executives had to say about the Rams trade for Braden Fiske
By Blaine Grisak@bgrisakTST May 4, 2024, 12:55pm CDT
4 Comments / 5 New
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Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

One of the more controversial moves of the NFL Draft last week seems to be what the Los Angeles Rams traded away to move up and get Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske. In the trade, the Rams gave up a 2025 2nd round pick to move up 13 spots with the Carolina Panthers to acquire Fiske.

The Athletic’s Mike Sando asked NFL Executives around the league of their thoughts on each team’s draft class. Executives specifically brought up the move that the Rams made to go up and get Fiske. Said one executive,

“We liked Fiske, but what they gave up, I mean, can you find another trade in the second round that gave up as much as they gave up, over the last 10 years? I don’t even know if they are weighing the trade calculations.”

According to Sando, “Execs saw that as behavior consistent with having a strong head coach. They also cited reports suggesting the Rams explored trading into the top 10 for tight end Brock Bowers (or possibly Byron Murphy II).”

The move to go up and get Fiske was a bold one. It was the most expensive Day 2 overpay of the last six drafts. With that said, he was very clearly a player that the Rams liked and felt would be a good addition to their defensive rotation. Until Fiske gets the field, there will be questions on whether or not the move up was worth it.
As Bill Barnwell noted this week,

“Trading up still pays off less often than the teams that move up would hope. When a team traded up for a player, his performance over the first five years matched or surpassed the cost his team paid in draft capital just 42% of the time...Nearly 23% of the picks were total busts who produced zero value for their new teams, including 16% of the players who were acquired via trade-ups on Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft.”

Whether or not the trade up was worth it will only be determined by how Fiske performs on the field. The Detroit Lions traded away a 2025 third round for a project offensive tackle from British Columbia with a rugby background. Meanwhile, the Rams invested in a second-team All-ACC defensive tackle which is overshadowing a potential poor investment or trade up move from Brad Holmes and the Lions.

The Rams obviously liked Fiske enough to move up for him and trade away future assets. However, NFL executives and analysts around the league continue to question whether or not it was the right move.

 

[Loyal]

NFL executives gave their thoughts on the Rams trade for Braden Fiske

The Athletic’s Mike Sando shared what NFL executives had to say about the Rams trade for Braden Fiske

www.turfshowtimes.com

NFL executives gave their thoughts on the Rams trade for Braden Fiske​

The Athletic’s Mike Sando shared what NFL executives had to say about the Rams trade for Braden Fiske
By Blaine Grisak@bgrisakTST May 4, 2024, 12:55pm CDT
4 Comments / 5 New
If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Share this story​

• Share this on Facebook (opens in new window)
• Share this on Twitter (opens in new window)
• SHAREAll sharing options

Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

One of the more controversial moves of the NFL Draft last week seems to be what the Los Angeles Rams traded away to move up and get Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske. In the trade, the Rams gave up a 2025 2nd round pick to move up 13 spots with the Carolina Panthers to acquire Fiske.

The Athletic’s Mike Sando asked NFL Executives around the league of their thoughts on each team’s draft class. Executives specifically brought up the move that the Rams made to go up and get Fiske. Said one executive,

According to Sando, “Execs saw that as behavior consistent with having a strong head coach. They also cited reports suggesting the Rams explored trading into the top 10 for tight end Brock Bowers (or possibly Byron Murphy II).”

The move to go up and get Fiske was a bold one. It was the most expensive Day 2 overpay of the last six drafts. With that said, he was very clearly a player that the Rams liked and felt would be a good addition to their defensive rotation. Until Fiske gets the field, there will be questions on whether or not the move up was worth it.
As Bill Barnwell noted this week,


Whether or not the trade up was worth it will only be determined by how Fiske performs on the field. The Detroit Lions traded away a 2025 third round for a project offensive tackle from British Columbia with a rugby background. Meanwhile, the Rams invested in a second-team All-ACC defensive tackle which is overshadowing a potential poor investment or trade up move from Brad Holmes and the Lions.

The Rams obviously liked Fiske enough to move up for him and trade away future assets. However, NFL executives and analysts around the league continue to question whether or not it was the right move.

Bah

 

[dang]

Suh 33 1/2
Donald 32 5/8

Others found:
Adrian Hutchinson 32 1/8
Ed Oliver 31 ¾
Kobie Turner 31 3/8
Greg Gaines 31 ¼
Braden Fiske 31
Calijah Kancey 30 5/8

Thanks. I’d take another Hutchinson but I’d be thrilled if Fiske performs at a level somewhere between KTurner and GGaines.

 

[JimY53]

Barnwell: Does trading up in the NFL draft actually work? What we can learn from 242 past deals

Trading up isn't simply a pass/fail conversation, but there often is a clear winner. Here's what previous NFL draft deals can teach us.

www.espn.com

Trade Up - Lesson in Deals

by Bill Barnwell, ESPN​

Super long piece, worth reading

 

[Loyal]

Personally, I trust nothing the Ram hater, Mike Sando, says.

 

[Memento]

Mike Sando is a former Seahag beat writer. He never had any good things to say about us.