Troy Andersen should give fans a reason to get excited about the future prospects of the Falcons' defense. The first-year linebacker was somewhat of an unknown to most fans after his career at Montana State, but he has dominated every step of the way. Terry Fontenot was on with the Midday Show discussing his interesting career and how his past success illustrates his overwhelming potential output at the professional level.
"He did a lot of incredible things at Montana State. He hadn't even been a full-time linebacker and we see all the growth that he had just through this year," Fontenot said. "Then you see him in the Senior Bowl, and he's one of the best players out there just flying around and making plays and he didn't even blink. It wasn't too big for him."
Andersen enters his rookie year with only one full season at interior linebacker as his sole position. Let's just break down his collegiate career:
2017: During his freshman season, he played both ways as a running back and a linebacker, finishing the season as the Big Sky Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American.
2018: The next year, he moved to quarterback and again flourished, taking home All-Big Sky Conference honors.
2019: He was a first-team all-conference at linebacker but again split time on offense at running back.
2020: Season lost due to COVID-19
2021: In his final season at Montana State, he played interior linebacker full-time and was named an FCS All-American, and Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
The athleticism is obvious when you watch the tape and it showed up again at the NFL Combine. He jumped out of his cleats with a 36-inch vertical and ran like a wide receiver with a 4.42 40-yard dash. At 6'3, 245 pounds, he matches it with his size and was clearly one of the best athletes on the field in Indianapolis.
Then there's the leadership that shows up when you speak to him.
"When you meet with him you feel the leadership, you feel the presence, and you feel the intelligence and he's the consummate pro," Fontenot said. "He checks every box."
Troy Andersen has been all over the field as a contributor every step of the way. He has consistently been an elite athlete everywhere he's been. That, paired with his intelligence (finished as a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, or the Academic Heisman) and he figures to be a mainstay for the Falcons as a full-time linebacker.
No, most fans probably weren't very familiar with Troy Andersen when he was at Montana State, but they will be very soon.