Ramalytics: One area where Braden Fiske has room to improve

Braden Fiske led NFL rookies in sacks, but must improve against the run

The Los Angeles Rams received a lot of flack when they traded next year’s second round pick during the NFL Draft in order to move up 13 slots and select Braden Fiske of Florida State.

Now those critics are getting flack, because Fiske was outstanding for the Rams as a rookie.

How Braden Fiske stood out among rookie peers

Fiske led all defensive rookies with 8.5 sacks. Chop Robinson of the Miami Dolphins was the next closest with six. Fellow Rams rookie Jared Verse—and Fiske’s former teammate at Florida State—finished with 4.5. While Verse’s sack numbers aren’t as impressive on the surface, he led all rookies with 77 pressures and ranked fourth among all defenders regardless of experience.

Fiske himself had 51 pressures, which was good for 11th among all interior defenders. His Rams teammate, Kobie Turner, generated 54 pressures and ranked seventh. Los Angeles effectively has two of the best interior pass rushers in the NFL to complement one of the best EDGE rushers in Verse.

A new fearsome foursome in Los Angeles.

One key area where Fiske can improve

While the rookie’s pass rushing production is certainly impressive, there is reason to be concerned with Fiske’s ability to hold up in the run game at present. Still, this is his first year in the NFL and he’ll have an opportunity to grow into a more well-rounded player over his career.

Out of 145 interior defenders with at least 193 snaps, the Rams rookie ranked 127th in run defense with a Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 39.9. This puts him in just outside of the bottom 10% at his position.

The pass rushing traits are what the Rams were willing to bet one when they made their high-leverage trade up for Fiske. There are also tradeoffs with his playing style as a penetrating interior player, and it’s a fair argument that the pass rushing production is immensely more valuable than run stopping ability.

Still, run defense is a team effort and good teams will take advantage of any glaring weaknesses in your defensive front. As the Rams enter the playoffs, this could easily become the difference between winning and losing.