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2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: LB Paddy Fisher, Northwestern

Paddy Fisher is not only a tackling machine, but he's been pretty solid in coverage as well. But is his production enough to make him anything higher than a Day 3 selection?
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LB PADDY FISHER 

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 239 lbs.
Class: Senior (red shirt)
School: Northwestern


A very productive leader for Pat Fitzgerald’s defense. He has a career total of 401 tackles (214 solo) and was always around the football for the Wildcats. He also has 24.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks to his name and ten forced fumbles, ten passes defended, and four interceptions in his four seasons at Northwestern.

A three-star recruit in the 2016 cycle out of Katy, Texas, where he attended Katy High School. Won the Butkus-Fitzgerald linebacker of the year, which is an honor specific to Big-10 linebackers.

Was also First Team All Big-10 in 2018 and 2020, and Second Team All Big-10 in 2017 and 2019. Dominated at the collegiate level, but the doubts about his skills translating to the next level are warranted.

Traits

A player with his type of production usually gets a lot of hype from a Power-5 conference, but Fisher is a day three selection. The reason comes down purely to his marginal athletic ability and movement skills in space. Today’s football is all about speed and mismatches, and Fisher may be a fish out of water in terms of athletic ability at the next level.

Fisher is stiff in the lower half, has mediocre acceleration, change of direction, and overall quickness. He does a solid job picking up speed as a backside pursuit defender. Fisher does process the game very well - reads his keys, reacts, attacks offensive lineman with solid hand usage to stack & shed in the box.

He will certainly meet all the intangible requirements that NFL teams cover. He’ll be a great special teams player--a try-hard winner that the coaching staff will love. He was always barking and communicating audibles on Northwestern’s defense, and he was the leader in terms of passion and the X’s and O’s.

He is very good at plugging the interior gaps and reacting to his keys. He shoots the gaps quickly, makes hard, wrap-up tackles in gaps to force negative offensive plays. While moving laterally, Fisher relied on his good length to dive and trip up ball carriers--he does not have sideline to sideline speed. Coverage abilities in man will be a struggle. Understanding of route combinations in zone coverage helps his lack of fluidity in space.

The NFL seems to be phasing out two down, run-stuffing, type of linebackers and moving to a more speedy hybrid safety - this fact is unfortunate for Fisher. However, there’s a place in the NFL for someone who works as hard as Fisher does and who possesses the intelligence and leadership qualities that Fisher’s game is built upon.

Fisher’s coaches will love him, but professional football is a game of speed, and that’s not what meshes greatly with Fisher. He should be a Day 3 selection whose upside is a 2-down linebacker that a team would like to sub-out in passing situations.


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