2021 NFL Draft: 4 day-three steals at linebacker

Paddy Fisher, Northwestern

Paddy Fisher is another player that you’d swear there are three of. He’s everywhere on the field. Fisher wasn’t a coveted recruit – he was ranked 1,087 overall by 247 Sports in the 2016 class – but worked hard and earned every bit of what he now has.

Fisher appeared in every game Northwestern played in his college career. He accounted for 401 tackles, tied for 37th all-time in NCAA history. 24.5 of his tackles were for a loss. While he excels at tackling, that’s not his only talent, Fisher accounted for two sacks, four interceptions and 10 forced fumbles.

He wasn’t just A leader, he quickly became THE leader of the Wildcats defense. He was an All-Big Ten selection all four years of his career, first-team his sophomore and senior seasons and second-team in his freshman and junior season.

The biggest knock against Fisher is his athletic ability, which unfortunately for him isn’t something that can be learned. What he lacks in athletic ability he more than makes up for in his football instincts and his ability to read the play and figure out where he needs to be, sometimes before the play even happens.

It’s unlikely he will become a three-down linebacker, but Fisher is a sure-fire special teams superstar at the next level that can work his way into a starting role on defense. Fisher would be at his best on first down and second and short situations.