Braden Fiske has the perfect reaction to being drafted by Rams

Even as the LA Rams understood that they might be playing their final season before the retirement of All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald, perhaps the most fitting parting gift that the team could bestow to The Great One is to codify his final request of the team into a fundamental principle that will apply to any rookie drafted and/or signed by the team.

Ad the team shared their strategy to rip the roster down to the studs with Donald and reload the team with inexpensive veterans and rookies, Aaron Donald shared sound advice with the Rams:

"I'll partner with anyone, as long as they care"

- Aaron Donald

Donald's request is simple, but profound. What does 'they care' look like mean to the LA Rams front office when it comes down to the 2024 NFL Draft? In a nutshell, it looks awfully similar to Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske, added to the team with the 39th overall pick in Round 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft:

'As long as he cares'

As long as he cares pretty much sums up Braden Fiske's football passion. While there has been plenty discussed about the the LA Rams offensive breakfast club, the team appears to be on the brink of assembling a defensive breakfast club as well. Let me explain.

The Florida State Seminoles defense did not just gel organically. The dominance that defense put onto a football field took a great deal of work, and that type of work comes from a labor of love. Two guys love football that much, so much that they were the first to arrive and the last two leave. They were OLB Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske:

Keep in mind that they were collegiate football players who had to study and take classes as well. But there is a saying that if your job is something that you love to do, you will never 'work' a day in your life. That appears to be the case for LA Rams rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske, who loved football so much that he spends practically all of his free time preparing for the next competition. And his passion is matched by LA Rams rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse.

I am already salivating to see them start training camp with ILB Ernest Jones, OLB Byron Young, and NT Kobie Turner. In just two years, the core of this team's defense is incredibly talented and solid.

Braden Fiske has perfect reaction to being drafted by Rams

So here we are, welcoming the second former Seminoles to wear the Horns, and the anticipation is already building to a point that rivals a red carpet movie premier. After all, this is the next chapter for the Rams defense, one whose story has yet to be written.

One of the authors for this defense will surely be rookie defensive lineman Braden Fiske:

While every rookie is bursting with adrenaline and optimism at this time of year, Braden Fiske has the perfect reaction to being drafted by Rams:

"I can not tell you how juiced I am to come to LA and team up with my guy, Verse and wreak havoc out there on the defensive line."

- Braden Fiske

The thing is, I believe him. This is not some hollow promise by a guy who wants to show up and collect a paycheck. He is a passionate player who is already indebted to the Rams football organization by reuniting him with his close friend and teammate, Jared Verse. Kudos to the Rams front office for recognizing the chemistry and synergy between Verse and Fiske. Not only in recognizing it, but in their ability to almost instantly assess the value of how reuniting them on an NFL roster could unlock a career's worth of motivation in their rookie season.

Rookies Kobie Turner and Byron Young bonded quickly during the Rams 2023 training camp. Now rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske arrive to the Rams 2024 training camp already armed with the type of brotherhood that ensures that one will have the other's back.

As long as they care? The Rams have at least four young defenders who do. The career of Aaron Donald may not continue into 2024. But his legacy, and his passion for the game, certainly will.

As always, thanks for reading.