Eighth of an 11-part sequence. Coming tomorrow: cornerbacks.
There's little or no on a soccer subject Troy Andersen can’t do.
He has performed quarterback, working again and fullback. He has hung out at inside and out of doors linebacker. He has been a Soccer Championship Subdivision (FCS) All-American on each side of the ball. He has even punted.
The Montana State star ran the gamut in school, filling in each time he was requested. He went from a working again/exterior linebacker as a freshman to a full-time quarterback as a sophomore again to a linebacker/wildcat quarterback/fullback as a junior to inside linebacker this previous season.
“Type of do no matter he might for the workforce [type of guy],” coach Brent Vigen stated in a cellphone interview.
That selfless angle received Andersen fairly far, and it will likely be taking him to taking part in on Sundays very quickly. He's projected to be taken as excessive because the second spherical within the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft.
When Vigen arrived at Montana State from Wyoming early in 2021, Andersen’s athleticism reminded him of one in all his former gamers, Logan Wilson, who was a 2020 third-round choose of the Bengals and is a beginning center linebacker. He wished to make use of Andersen in a similar way.
“He was all-in, he was all-in with the workforce and all-in doing no matter he might, and he had an incredible season for us,” Vigen stated.
Andersen was the Huge Sky defensive participant of the yr, and a runner-up for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the highest FCS defensive participant. He led Montana State to the FCS title recreation, notching 147 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions and 7 move breakups.
Not unhealthy for somebody who had by no means performed the place earlier than. The Dillon, Mont., native’s inventory has solely risen since then. The 6-foot-3, 243-pound Andersen impressed scouts and analysts alike on the scouting mix and Senior Bowl.
His 4.42-second, 40-yard sprint on the mix was the quickest amongst all linebackers who took half within the occasion and the fifth-fastest on the occasion by a participant weighing over 240 kilos since 2003, in line with Subsequent Gen Stats. He was one in all 5 linebackers to earn an “Elite” athleticism rating. It led NFL Community draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah to proclaim him to be a right away starter on the subsequent degree. ESPN’s Todd McShay has made an analogous prediction.
On the Senior Bowl, Andersen greater than held his personal towards high competitors. Most significantly, he confirmed his versatility at linebacker, not simply with the power to play on the line of scrimmage as a “actual punch you within the face sort of linebacker,” which is how ProFootballNetwork.com draft analyst Tony Pauline described him, but in addition to cowl working backs and tight ends down the sector. He wasn’t typically requested to try this for Montana State.
“When he added that factor and confirmed that means to take action on the Senior Bowl — these had been questions on his recreation — I feel his draft inventory actually took off,” Pauline stated. “He principally cemented himself as a Day 2 choose. … He actually confirmed himself to be a three-down linebacker.”
He did really feel nerves, significantly on the Senior Bowl, coming from the FCS degree. There was stress to show he belonged. Andersen was not sure how it might go.
“Then you definately sort of simply understand it’s nonetheless soccer,” he stated on the Montana State Professional Day. “It was a very good confidence enhance. You play at Montana State, and I feel we play good soccer right here, and also you’re like, ‘Possibly.’ And then you definitely go down there, and it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I assume we do.’ We have now actually good gamers right here.”
Quickly, he'll get to signify his college on the most important stage. Andersen is about to make Montana State historical past, as this system’s highest drafted participant since cornerback Joey Thomas went within the third spherical in 2004. Not like so lots of the prospects who will understand a lifelong dream shortly, he took a circuitous path to get so far by taking part in a number of positions.
“It’s sort of each little boy’s dream. You sit on the sofa and also you watch all of the video games rising up, and also you’re like, ‘Man, that’d be fairly cool,’ ” Andersen stated. “To have a possibility to maneuver on to the place it’s the most effective on the earth taking part in soccer, it’s an incredible alternative and it’s one I don’t take as a right. I’m actually excited for that subsequent step.”
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