NFL Draft: Montana State’s Troy Andersen Selected 58th Overall By Atlanta Falcons

One of the biggest questions swirling around this year’s Draft was where Troy Andersen would go... and when? Everyone got that answer on Friday night when the Falcons called his name.

Andersen is by far one of the most interesting players to come through the college ranks in quite some time. To say he did it all at Montana State is an understatement. Andersen served as the Bobcats running back, quarterback and... most recently... linebacker. The hitch? He received national recognition whilst playing all those positions.

In 2018 Andersen made waves on offense for MSU when he rushed for a team-high 1,412 yards and 21 touchdowns. Those outstanding numbers earned him Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors. A year later he rushed for 300+ more yards and seven touchdowns while authoring 54 total tackles, an interception and 6.5 sacks. His team did not play in 2020 but last fall was perhaps his best season yet and it was his first solely at linebacker. In 2021 Andersen put up 147 tackles, a forced fumble, two interceptions and two sacks. All that resulted in him being a finalist for the Buck Buchannan Award and more All-Big Sky and All-American accolades.

Andersen’s already good draft stock rose greatly over the pre-draft process. After impressing during the Senior Bowl, he turned heads in a big way at the NFL Combine. He registered an incredible 4.42 40-yard dash time, the best of all the linebackers invited. Andersen only continued to wow at his pro day earlier this month when he finished the 20-yard shuttle under four seconds, virtually unheard of for a linebacker.

Now the question is, how will the Falcons use Andersen? He has an arsenal of skills that could place him on either side of the ball (or special teams). He is the first Big Sky player selected in the draft since Idaho’s Kaden Elliss in 2019 and the first Montana State player taken since Beau Sandland in 2016.