Luke Goedeke Was A Tough Battle For FSU Draft Prospect

While Fiske is an interior defensive lineman and Goedeke was on the outside at right tackle, Fiske made it well known that Goedeke was on everybody’s mind when they would get ready for this game.

“Yeah, I played against him,” Fiske said of Luke Goedeke. “Solid player, he’s one of those guys (that) you plan for him going into the week. You know he’s a stud. We knew prepping for that week that he was a great player, someone we’ve got to attack and get after.”

Since Luke Goedeke missed the 2020 season for Central Michigan due to injury, they technically only met twice in 2019 and 2021. Fiske and Western Michigan got the better of Goedeke and Central Michigan in 2019 by a score of 31-15. But Goedeke and the Chippewas got some revenge in 2021, winning the game, 42-30. In the 2020 game, Western Michigan was victorious for the second year in a row at the time, prevailing, 52-44.

Luke Goedeke Was A Huge Reason For Bucs’ Success 

It would be a fair argument to say that Luke Goedeke moving back to right tackle and progressing in his second year was the biggest reason for Bucs finding success on the offensive line.

There’s no doubt that Tristan Wirfs moving to left tackle and getting good enough play from Cody Mauch at right guard played a big role. But when considering how much Goedeke struggled as a rookie and the lack of options the Bucs had at right tackle if he failed, the fact he improved and played well was a giant step forward for he and the offense in general.

If Goedeke didn’t work out at as planned, we would all be looking at this draft differently. Instead, heading into next season the Bucs have two anchors at offensive tackle as the core of their future, and can work on the inside of the O-line to try to get an upgrade at guard and center.

“He had an incredible year,” left tackle and good friend Tristan Wirfs said of Goedeke. “For what last year was, he deserves his flowers. The lineup that he went against, Danielle Hunter Week 1, Aidan Hutchinson twice, yeah come on, Nick Bosa. He had a really good year. I’m super proud of him.”

Braden Fiske Gains Attention At The Senior Bowl

Given that PewterReport covers a team in Tampa Bay, it is natural that there is a contingency of Florida State fans that will want to know more about defensive tackle Braden Fiske. There’s no question that Fiske was a big part of Florida State’s undefeated regular season and its stifling defense, as he recorded 43 tackles, nine tackles for loss and a whopping six sacks on the year.

Fiske credited the success of FSU’s defense to everyone “flying to the ball” on every play. It’s a relentless effort that Fiske embodies, which helped him win the top defensive lineman at the Senior Bowl practices. Fiske featured his ridiculously quick get off at the line of scrimmage to the point where it looked for a second that he was offsides, but really just reacted well to the snap. He credits that as the best part of his game.

“My motor, relentless effort,” Fiske said. “I get after it. I say it all the time, there’s not a play out there I don’t think I can make. I feel like I can be all over the field. Hat-on-hat or sideline-to-sideline, I can make a play. Effort out there is a choice, it’s a football trait how I choose to go about it, just getting after it.”

This may not be the last you hear of Fiske in connection with the Bucs. Projections can fluctuate as draft weekend gets closer but at the moment he is considered to be a fourth-round pick.

The Bucs have Greg Gaines, Will Gholston and Pat O’Connor heading into free agency on the defensive line, so if not all of them return there’s going to be room to bring in another defensive tackle since the Bucs rotate so much up front. The fact that Fiske recorded six sacks at defensive tackle will not go unnoticed by the Bucs, who are always looking to upgrade their pass rush.

Fiske wouldn’t mind the idea of staying in Florida, either.

“I would love to stay in Florida,” Fiske said. “I want to stay down south.”

If that happened it would give him another opportunity to battle Luke Goedeke once again in training camp in Tampa Bay.