Falcons Madden MLB Ratings: Rookie Troy Andersen Disrespected?
When the Atlanta Falcons drafted Troy Andersen in the second round of April's NFL Draft, the team knew they were taking someone who could contribute pretty soon.
Andersen has shown that during the first part of training camp and has even gotten some first-team reps.
At 6-3, 243-pounds, Andersen ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. It was one of several drills he in which he shined, creating an outstanding athletic profile in the pre-draft process.
While the Falcons find Andersen’s past on both sides of the ball to be a plus regarding the enhancement of his football intelligence, the 23-year-old’s relative inexperience at linebacker has led to a steep learning curve. Though Andersen impressed coaches during rookie minicamp and OTAs, the staff acknowledged he’s still in a learning phase.
With roughly six weeks between the conclusion of OTAs and his first training camp as a professional, Andersen has had time to go back to the drawing board and prepare – both physically and mentally – for his rookie season. A telling sign as to where he’s at in his development is whether he’s working with Evans and the first-team or the backups.
If Andersen enters as a second-string player, it shouldn’t be viewed as an underwhelming develop, as Atlanta drafted him with his long-term upside in mind. Nevertheless, the FCS product has an exciting mix of tools, and training camp should reveal lots regarding how soon he’ll be able to showcase them at the NFL level.
Madden 23 released its ratings recently, and believes Andersen belongs on the second team with a rating of 69 out of 99. That ranks him fourth on the team, but given what's going on in training camp, there's reason to believe he isn't the fourth-best linebacker on the team right now.
Here's a look at the rest of the Falcons linebackers ratings ...
Overall
Deion Jones: 82
Rashaan Evans: 79
Nick Kwiatkoski: 74
Troy Andersen: 69
Mykal Walker: 68
Rashad Smith: 61
Dorian Etheridge: 60
Speed
Troy Andersen: 92
Deion Jones: 90
Mykal Walker: 86
Rashaan Evans: 84
Rashad Smith: 82
Nick Kwiatkoski: 79
Dorian Etheridge: 76
Acceleration
Troy Andersen: 95
Deion Jones: 91
Mykal Walker: 88
Rashad Smith: 88
Dorian Etheridge: 88
Rashaan Evans: 87
Nick Kwiatkoski: 84
Agility
Troy Andersen: 87
Deion Jones: 86
Rashaan Evans: 84
Nick Kwiatkoski: 81
Mykal Walker: 81
Rashad Smith: 80
Dorian Etheridge: 77
