The Raiders have never been afraid of drafting players from smaller schools. One of their biggest draft hits ever was Gene Upshaw and he played at Texas A&M-Kingsville. So is there a small-school stud in the 2022 NFL Draft?
One player that every draft fan should know is Troy Andersen from Montana State. A former college quarterback, Andersen made the switch to linebacker and became the best defensive player in the conference.
In a recent article by Kambui Bomani of Pro Football Focus, he identified Andersen as one of the draft’s best small-school players. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the Montana State star:
“As an every-down linebacker during his final year in Bozeman, Montana, Andersen accumulated an 86.4 coverage grade, 86.3 defensive grade and an 80.5 run defense grade to help lead his team to its first FCS title berth in school history. Just a novice at the position, he’s an upside pick who could develop into a franchise’s LB1.”
On top of being a phenomenal college player, Andersen tested as one of the best athletes in the draft. He ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at 243 pounds at the NFL Combine. That was the fastest time among all the linebackers despite him being one of the heaviest in the class.
Andersen has thrived at every position and sport he’s ever played. And if the Raiders are patient, he could be a star in the NFL. He might not make it to them at pick No. 86, but this is a player that is certainly worth monitoring over the next three weeks as a possible pick by Las Vegas.