Braden Fiske Aims to Up the Ante Next Season

The Los Angeles Rams went from a team that built championship-contending rosters by trading draft picks for established veterans to use their draft picks to ensure they are competitive for longer than a few years, as was usually the case when trading for veterans.

While the Rams were able to win a Super Bowl by trading away picks, that success was short-lived and eventually left their roster lacking depth at multiple positions. By building through the draft, the Rams get young, affordable talent with fewer miles on them for years.

Los Angeles assembled one of the best draft classes of any team in the National Football League last offseason. Jared Verse and Braden Fisk, college teammates at Florida State who were drafted in the first and second rounds, played a significant role in the success.

The defensive lineman took a moment to analyze how his first season in the NFL went. He noted that although he felt well-prepared, the NFL season is much longer than collegiate football seasons. Still, Fiske was proud of his rookie season production.

"There was a lot that happened during the season, going from a college season to an NFL season to realize how long it truly is to go from July in training camp to mid-January. You're talking six full months of football that you don't really get in college -- you're usually done by December in college."

"That was what I was most proud of, just fighting through that because everyone really talks about a rookie wall," Fiske said. "I think in me and Jared [Verse's] case, we didn't really have that opportunity because early on we were thrown out to the fire, 'Hey, you guys are going to have to be able to be pieces to this defense. I think we stepped up to the occasion."

Still, Fiske knows he must improve this offseason to help the Rams take the next step. Specifically, he aims to improve in the run game this season to help bolster the Rams' interior defensive line even more.

"I want to be better in the run game," says Fiske. "I think that was the place -- I don't want to say necessarily struggle -- but the run game wasn't as good as my pass rush game. I want to balance that out more, I want to be more of a presence on the field and become more of a true three-down guy on the field. I think that will really elevate my game going forward and really put me in a separate category if I can really emphasize that," Fiske said.

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