When the Atlanta Falcons drafted Foye Oluokon in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Yale University, many doubted if the linebacker from the Ivy League would ever become much more than a special teams contributor and/or reserve player for the Dirty Birds defense.
By the 2021 season, not only did Foye Oluokon earn a starting spot on the Falcons defense, he became a tackling machine, recording an NFL leading 192 combined tackles.
Oluokon left the Falcons for a huge free agency contract in 2022, leaving the Falcons with a huge whole in the middle of their defense.
The Falcons filled that whole by signing LB Rashaan Evans, a former first round draft selection to anchor the defense. Evans stepped right in and led the Falcons in tackles with 159 tackles, starting all 17 games.
However, the Falcons did not decide to bring back Evans for 2023, leaving new DC Ryan Nielsen in need of leader for his linebacker core.
When Chris Goforth asked Will McFadden, from The Falcoholic who is the next guy to fill that role, Will responded by saying, “Right now on paper they are missing that 150 tackle guy.”
Will continued by saying, “Kaden Ellis looks interesting, but it’s probably falling to Troy Andersen.”
Can the 2022 second round pick fill the void in the middle of the Falcons defense?
Andersen has all the tools to become a tackling machine in the NFL as Will pointed out by saying, “He is lightning fast” to Chris when describing the skill set Andersen brings to the LB core. But is it too much to expect a second year player to anchor a NFL defense?
Andersen played in all 17 games (5 starts) during his rookie campaign, recording 69 tackles on both special teams and as a member of the defensive rotation.
Under new DC Nielsen, most expect that number of tackles to RISE UP!