Montana State's Troy Andersen drafted by Atlanta Falcons at No. 58

(Editor's note: Quote from Montana State Press Release)

Former Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen was selected No. 58 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday.

“I’m very excited for Troy to realize this dream of his,” said Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to see him picked in the second round. The Falcons just got better and gained a whole new fan base here in Montana.”

While Andersen did it all during his five years at Montana State, playing running back and quarterback, his 2021 senior campaign at linebacker will go down as one of the best in Bobcat history.

The Dillon native was a unanimous first-team all-American this past football season after leading MSU to its first FCS Championship appearance since 1984. Andersen finished his senior season with a team-high 147 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, and seven pass breakups.

Andersen added to his resume at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, clocking the fastest 40-yard dash for linebackers with a time of 4.42 seconds. He didn't do shuttles at the combine but did participate at Montana State's Pro Day in early April where he clocked a 3.99, which was also significantly faster than any linebacker in Indianapolis.

Andersen has the potential to be a day one starter for Atlanta who struggled on defense last year ranking towards the bottom of the league at No. 29. In 2021, the Falcons run defense gave up 2,242 yards on the ground, which was the sixth most in the NFL.

Andersen is the highest Bobcat to be drafted since 1974 when defensive tackle Bill Kollar was drafted in the first round (23rd overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals. The last player from Montana State to be drafted was tight end Beau Sandland in 2016 who was selected 252nd overall by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round.