The San Francisco 49ers were among the teams to hold a formal interview with Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen at the NFL Scouting Combine, per Justin Melo of The Draft Network. The other teams were the Buffalo Bills, Washington Commanders, and Philadelphia Eagles.
"Andersen is the most unique playmaker in the 2022 [NFL Draft]," wrote Melo. "He played QB/LB/RB for the [Bobcats]."
Montana State LB Troy Andersen had formal interviews at the combine with the #Bills, #49ers, #Commanders and #Eagles.
Andersen is the most unique playmaker in the 2022 #NFLDraft. He played QB/LB/RB for the Bearcats. He ran the fastest 40 (4.42) among all LB's at the combine.
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) March 13, 2022
Andersen registered 137 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, two sacks, two interceptions, seven passes defensed, and a fumble recovery in 2021. He was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year.
Andersen is from Dillon, MT. He earned a pre-draft grade of 5.9 from NFL.com, which equates to an "average backup or special-teams player," per the site's 8-point grading scale.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, the 6' 3 1/2" and 243-pound Andersen had a 40-time of 4.42 seconds, a vertical jump of 36 inches, and a broad jump of 128 inches. His 40-time was the fastest among all of this year's linebackers at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Andersen's other measurables include an arm length of 32 1/8 inches and hands measuring 9 1/4 inches.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, who compares Andersen to Mark Nzeocha, wrote the following about Andersen within his scouting report:
Intriguing "do-everything" prospect with unusual versatility that could see him getting reps in all three phases. Andersen has good size and toughness with the ball in his hands, but he's transitioned to a full-time linebacker role. However, he's still inexperienced at the position, which shows in his instincts and technique at that spot. Despite those concerns, he was an extremely productive playmaker, using his physical tools and motor to shine. Teams will likely look to grow Andersen's linebacker IQ while playing him as a core special-teamer, but he might have potential on packaged plays on offense.
Joe Marino of The Draft Network wrote the following about Andersen within his scouting report:
Troy Andersen is the most versatile player in the 2022 NFL Draft. He made a notable impact at Montana State as a quarterback, running back, and linebacker. At the next level, he is likely a linebacker but offers some appeal as a two-way player if a team wanted to create some packages for him offensively. When considering Andersen as a linebacker, his size, athleticism, urgency, and tackling skills make him an impact defender. He has true sideline-to-sideline range and is an explosive playmaker. He has easy movement skills in coverage and can serve as a matchup defender to play some man. With all of that said, Andersen is still very raw when it comes to processing and there are times where it's abundantly clear that he's still new to playing linebacker. He has to develop his ability to deconstruct blocks and play off contact in addition to improving his read and react skills. I like him best as a pursuit-style linebacker to take advantage of his range and urgency. He should be an impact special teams player that has the ability to affect games in a variety of ways.
