Troy

Andersen

Andersen entered concussion protocol earlier this week and was unable to get cleared heading into the weekend. The hyper-athletic middle linebacker will miss at least one game with this injury, but try to make it back for Week 3 when the Falcons take on the Lions. Linebacker Nate Landman is expected to start in place of Andersen. Cornerback Jeff Okudah (foot) is listed as questionable for Week 2.

A do-everything player, Anderson (6’3/242) started games at running back and linebacker as a freshman, was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference quarterback as a sophomore, and became one of the FCS’ best defenders upon moving to linebacker full-time for his last two seasons. Andersen ran a 4.42 during pre-draft testing and added a 94th-percentile broad jump. An amped-up, energetic presence, Andersen shows zero hesitancy pulling the trigger to attack downhill. He has the athleticism, frame, and play style for any assignment, but Andersen is still learning to diagnose and can become tentative when confused. He’s a dice roll on traits. Luckily, he has them in spades.

Andersen (6'3.5"/243) was already making waves as an athletic freak after running a 4.42 at the Combine, fastest of all LBs, but this puts him in the next stratosphere. If those numbers are taken as gospel, when fed into the RAS calculator along with the scores he had at the combine, Andersen has a perfect 10 RAS, making him THE most athletic LB in the last 35 years. That is ridiculously impressive. For more context, that shuttle would’ve been the second fastest time of ANY position at the combine, and three-cone would rank fifth. This dude can move, and his draft stock is hurtling upwards.

Treash isn’t the first analyst to praise Andersen (6'4/235) in recent weeks. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay tabbed Andersen as a recent riser following his Combine performance in which he ran a 4.42 40-yard dash. Andersen is one of the more athletic LB prospects in the class, and proved as much at the Combine with strong numbers in the explosiveness workouts. Andersen has a chance to hear his name called on Day 2 of the draft and could make an immediate impact for whichever team drafts him.

Andersen (6'4/235) went mostly under the radar throughout the year playing for the Bobcats. He started to get on people’s radar during the FCS Playoffs and stood out at the Senior Bowl. He showed out in a big way at the Combine, running a 4.42 second 40-yard dash. He also showed out in a big way with his jumps, showing real explosion. Having played both QB and RB during his time at Montana State, Andersen has a unique viewpoint playing the position and has already proven to be one of the best linebackers in this class.

Andersen (6'3/243) had the fastest 40-yard dash of any LB at the combine (4.42) and had the fourth best broad jump of 10-feet-8 inches. A versatile player who spent time at quarterback, running back and linebacker in college, Andersen looks like an elite athlete with a diverse skill set. He did not participate in any agility drills, but will have a chance to do more at Montana State’s pro day if he chooses to do so.

That’s a fantastic time for Andersen’s (6'4"/235) size. Andersen has been getting a lot of buzz as someone that could really raise his stock at the combine, and a lot of that was based on his speed. He proved it here with a fantastic time. He’s from a smaller school, but he was the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and he could be one to look out for.

We’ve noted multiple times how high Nagy is on Anderson (6'4"/235) after his impressive showing in the Senior Bowl. Now as linebackers are set to begin the testing process, he believes the national recognition is coming as he tweeted that Anderson “will be the talk of the Combine.” You might not know much about the FCS product, but he certainly has the talent like any other player coming from a big program. This season he was named the Big Sky’s Defensive Player of the Year, led the Bobcats to the sixth-best scoring defense in the FCS, and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award—which is given to the FCS’ top defensive player. Nagy noted Anderson’s bursting speed as he had the third-best acceleration speed at the Senior Bowl, behind two defensive backs. There are always a few FCS guys that come out of the winner and Anderson looks like a prime candidate.

Montana State was one of the elite teams in the FCS this season, including a defense that was sixth by allowing just 15 points per game. Anderson (6'4"/235) was the leader of that defense and was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award—which is given to the FCS’ top defensive player. There are always a couple of FCS standouts that come to combine and come out with praise and Anderson has the potential to be one of them. He’s an incredible blitzer off the edge, and has the ability to get open field tackles with a one-on-one matchup with runners. His days as a quarterback gives him the football IQ and scouts will come out of Indy wanting to grab this guy in the middle rounds.

The Senior Bowl is not only a way for players from the power schools to further their draft stock, but certainly allows ones from smaller programs to get scout’s eyes on them. Montana State’s Troy Anderson (6'4"/235) took advantage with a great showing a couple of weeks back in Mobile. He had the third-fastest max acceleration (6.01) of any defender at Senior Bowl. and this shows that he could drop back into man coverage against the tight end. Montana State is an incredible program in the FCS as they made an appearance in the championship against North Dakota State. Anderson led the team in 20221 with 11 total tackles and had two interceptions, one he returned for a touchdown.