Florida State DL Braden Fiske has a pre-draft visit scheduled with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, according to Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler.
Justin Melo of The Draft Network confirmed Fowler’s report.
Fiske was one of the big winners at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.78 40-yard dash after measuring in at 6035 and 292 pounds. In our profile of him for the site, Ross McCorkle gave Fiske a Late Day 2 projection, adding that Fiske could be a future quality starter.
Fiske’s Combine performance likely makes him a target for the Steelers with their No. 52 overall selection, and Pittsburgh’s defensive line room certainly needs some help and some depth. Right now, there isn’t much behind Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Larry Ogunjobi and Montravius Adams –the team reportedly re-signed him yesterday — and Heyward isn’t getting any younger. Fiske can play the interior and was a game-wrecker at Florida State, racking up six sacks in 2023 after transferring from Western Michigan.
He also had nine tackles for a loss and 43 total tackles, and his athleticism goes beyond his speed. He also posted 9’9″ broad jump and 33.5″ vertical jump in Indianapolis and could be an ideal guy to draft and develop into Pittsburgh’s next great interior defender.
Prior to his season at Florida State, Fiske had 13.5 sacks in four seasons at Western Michigan along with 26.5 tackles for a loss. Pittsburgh likes having some pass-rush juice out of its interior defensive linemen, and Fiske has routinely showed the ability to get after the passer. He also played his best in big moments. In Florida State’s ACC Championship Game victory over Louisville, Fiske had three sacks and 4.5 tackles for a loss in a game that Florida State’s defense owned.
At 292 pounds, Fiske would likely need to add some weight to play inside in Pittsburgh, and he doesn’t really project as a defensive end. But it’s clear that the Steelers have an interest in him, and given his rising draft stock, we’ll see how the pre-draft process looks for Fiske and just how interested the Steelers may be. Florida State’s Pro Day is a week from today, on March 22, so we’ll see who Pittsburgh has in attendance.
