xwalker
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He is super human.
Troy Andersen
YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2017: (11/4) 9 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 RB/LB; Big Sky Freshman of the Year; 90 carries, 515 rushing yards, 5 TDs; 7 catches, 45 receiving yards, 1 TD
2018: (13/11) 4 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 QB; Third Team All-American; First Team All-Big Sky; Led team in passing, rushing; School-record 21 rush TDs
2019: (11/10) 54 11.5 6.5 0 6 1 RB/LB; First Team All-American; First Team All-Big Sky; Team captain; 7 rush TDs, 1 pass TD
2020: Season cancelled due to COVID Planned to redshirt due to knee surgery
2021: (15/15) 147 14.0 2.0 0 9 2 Unanimous All-American; Big Sky Defensive POY; First Team All-Big Sky; Team captain; INT TD
STRENGTHS: Large-framed, long-limbed athlete … moves with bounce and burst in his lateral movements … has the sideline-to-sideline range to shadow the ball all
over the field … former 100-meter state champion in high school, and that speed shows in pursuit … fires downhill and fills gaps with power … has the athletic ability
to recover lost steps in his over-pursuit … not the most refined tackler, but creates physical collisions … improved discipline to stay with his assignments instead of
biting on misdirection … untapped ability as a Blitzer … when he has a beat on the play, he has the timing to arrive with the ball in coverage … has won more awards
for his academics than sports, including valedictorian in high school (4.0 GPA) and a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy in college, also known as the Academic
Heisman … loves the grind and routinely plays through injury (head coach Brent Vigen: “Troy is every bit determined as he is gifted.”) … two-time team captain with
the team-first attitude that led him to playing both offense and defense in college (his preference was to only play linebacker) … productive in whatever role he
played in college, finishing his career 10th in school history in rushing yards (2,263) and second in rushing touchdowns (33).
WEAKNESSES: Unrefined take-on skills, and still learning how to punch-and-separate … inconsistent leveraging blocks and working off contact … finds too much
contact when scraping laterally … the missed tackles piled up on tape … must do a better job settling his feet, dropping his hips and wrapping to finish … his counters
stall out once blockers get on top of him … high-cut and struggles to stay low through redirect blocks … needs to do a better job feeling routes around him and
tracking the eyes of the quarterback in coverage … aggressive play demeanor leads to body blows and durability questions … injured his right knee during the 2019
playoffs and then had a setback during winter break and required surgery (May 2020) — he planned to redshirt the 2020 season before it was cancelled because of
COVID … also has a history of shoulder issues.
SUMMARY: A four-year starter at Montana State, Andersen lined up at middle linebacker in defensive coordinator Freddie Banks’ 4-2-5 base scheme. After winning
state titles in three different sports in high school (plus earning valedictorian), he became one of the few players in college football history to lead his team in passing,
rushing and total tackles in three different seasons (of his 40 career starts, 25 came at linebacker, 11 at quarterback and four at running back). In his 25-game stretch
as a full-time linebacker (2019 and 2021), he posted 201 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 15 passes defended and three interceptions. Although he won’t be
teaching a clinic on the mechanics of wrap tackling, Andersen has incredible chase down speed with the aggressive nature to get his man on the ground. His lateral
range helps make up for the wasted steps, but he spends too much time attached to blocks, and his instincts are still developing. Overall, Andersen has sloppy
tackling/take-on habits and shows a marginal feel in coverage, but he is a toolsy size/speed athlete with the competitive toughness and versatility that give him
legitimate NFL upside (on offense, defense, and special teams).
