Braden Fiske On Being Surprised Los Angeles Rams Drafted Him And Why His Contract Is Unique

Braden Fiske was as surprised as everyone else when he heard his name selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the 39th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The former Florida State defensive tackle made headlines during the NFL Combine as the clear standout at the showcase of the incoming rookies, leading all defensive tackles in major Combine categories such as the 40-yard dash, broad jump and vertical jump while tying for first in the 20-yard shuttle. That performance led him to skyrocket on experts’ mock draft boards, going from a projected mid-round draft pick to a potential late first round/early second round projection.

That surprising combine performance ended up boosting Fiske’s draft stock to the point where he was selected within the first few picks of the second round of the NFL draft. And while there’s no doubt Fiske is loving his new team and environment in Los Angeles, he was “definitely surprised” when he received the phone call from Rams general manager Les Snead.

“I was definitely surprised,” said Fiske in an exclusive one-on-one interview. “Because I’ve talked about it many times in the pre-draft process, every team kind of plays their cards differently of how they show interest, the way that they recruit you, how they get to know you, how they kind of do their background checks on you. I didn’t really do anything with the Rams, hadn’t really heard much from them, hadn’t really talked to any of them at the All-Star games or the Combine.”

What makes the pick even more interesting is that the Rams moved up in the second round and pulled off a draft day trade with the Carolina Panthers, sending the Panthers their No. 52 and No. 155 selections and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for the 39th pick in the draft. It shows just how badly Los Angeles wanted the Florida State alum with head coach Sean McVay saying following the draft that Los Angeles were willing to do “whatever we can” to land Fiske.

“When it did happen, it was a big surprise to me,” says a smiling Fiske. “I wasn’t expecting the Rams – because they didn’t have a selection until a few picks later – but they jumped up and got me and I couldn’t be in a better situation. Where I’m at now with this coaching staff, this is probably the best situation I could have been put in.”

Aiding in Fiske’s transition from the collegiate ranks to the pro’s will be Jared Verse – Fiske’s fellow defensive linemate at FSU and the Rams’ first-round draft pick from this year. Verse racked up nine sacks in back-to-back years for the Seminoles while being named a First-team All-American.

Fiske says he was already “in shock” after hearing his name called on draft night and that it made the moment even more special when Verse hopped on the phone – along with Snead – to congratulate his fellow Seminoles alum on being drafted.

“It’s just cool,” says Fiske. “Because you show up to an unfamiliar place with at least somebody you have a familiar bond with and you can come in here and get right to work. It’s honestly been a really smooth transition. I credit that a lot to being able to play with Jared (again) and just going through the day with him – because it’s like secondhand – doing everything we did at Florida State.”

Although Fiske is a second-round draft pick, his contract is a unique one because it features more guaranteed money than usual for someone of his draft status. The 24-year-old inked a deal with the Rams which features $7.6 million fully guaranteed – $3.7 million of which is in the form of a signing bonus – across a total of four years for a total of $9.4 million. The first three years are fully guaranteed.

It’s also noteworthy because it was negotiated by Fiske’s agent, 31-year-old Joshua Grady. Grady – who has represented Fiske since January as part of Grady Sports Agency — is the youngest NFL agent to represent a top 40 pick in this year’s draft cycle.

“When he was drafted at the point he was, there was some negotiation that needed to be done in regard to guaranteed money in his contract,” explains Grady. “If nothing else, it gave us an opportunity to negotiate with the Rams to get him what was somewhat of a significant increase compared to what happened last year at the same pick.”

Similar picks of last year’s draft – defensive end Derick Hall at No. 37 and tackle Matthew Bergeron at No. 38 – signed guaranteed money deals worth $7.2 million and $7 million. The No. 39 pick of last year’s draft – wide receiver Jonathan Mingo – signed a fully guaranteed money deal worth $7.7 million. However, Fiske’s fourth year is 15% guaranteed, which wasn’t the case for Mingo.

Fiske – who is a notable investor and self-admittedly frugal with his money – hasn’t made any big purchases yet since signing his deal. After searching for a new car over the past month, Fiske decided he’s going to stick with his 2014 Honda which has over 150,000 miles on it.

The Michigan City, Indiana native says he has decided to throw more money into his investment pools and says that his “big boy purchase” is in rent with the cost of living in Los Angeles being “absurd,” as Fiske describes with a smile. However, he does leave the door open for one big purchase for his new house.

“I want to find a new TV for the house, so that might be my big one,” says Fiske.