The Los Angeles Rams doubled down on defense in the second round of the NFL Draft, selecting Florida State defensive lineman Brandon Fiske with the 39th overall pick.
That comes after the Rams took Fiske’s college teammate, edge rusher Jared Verse, on Thursday night.
But unlike the pick of Verse, which was widely acclaimed, an NFL scout tells the NFL Analysis Network that Los Angeles may have overdrafted Fiske, even though he likes the former Seminoles star.
“Look, I’m not going to say anything bad at all about Braden Fisk. He’s a great player with a high motor,” teh scout said. “I think it’s a reach in my opinion, but he’s going to help ease the pain of losing Aaron Donald a little bit. Fans will absolutely love his work ethic and energy.”
The Rams definitely needed to add some pieces defensively after losing Donald to retirement. It’s going to be nearly impossible to rediscover what Donald brought to the table, but Los Angeles is trying to replace his production by quantity.
Fiske is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he racked up 43 tackles, nine tackles for loss and six sacks.
The 24-year-old began his collegiate career at Western Michigan in 2019 and spent four seasons there before transferring to Florida State for his final NCAA season.
His best season at Western Michigan came in 2022, when he rattled off 59 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Perhaps the Rams could have traded down and still landed Fiske, but they obviously wanted to address their defense and didn’t want to risk Fiske not being available later.
Braden Fiske will join an LA pass rush that now includes Verse, Kobie Turner and Byron Young.
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