Andreessen made an impressive mark at Buffalo with 90 tackles in his lone season of FBS football.
Joe Andreessen has lived his entire football career under-the-radar. But as the 2024 NFL Draft approaches, the Buffalo inside linebacker is gaining steam as a potential pick in the 7-round event which runs from Thursday, Apr. 25 through Saturday, Apr. 27.
Andreessen only played one year at Buffalo, and it was a memorable one. He assumed the starting middle linebacker role in his first year on campus, and posted 90 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble for the Bulls. He finished fifth in the MAC in solo tackles and sixth in tackles for loss, but was a surprising snub from the all-conference teams as Buffalo’s best performer in the front seven.
He started all 12 contests last fall, finishing with at least one tackle behind the backfield in nine of them. Consistency was the name of his game, and he recorded at least six tackles in each of his last 10 outings — including two double-digit tackle performances.
Prior to his one year at Buffalo, Andreessen spent five seasons at Bryant University at the FCS level. Andreessen was one of the biggest standouts in the 2022 FCS season, collecting 116 tackles to earn All-American honors. His 2019 and spring 2021 (FCS played a spring season that year due to COVID-19) campaigns were marred by injuries, but he became a full-time starter in fall 2021, where his career started to take off.
Although Andreessen was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, the linebacker shined at Buffalo’s Pro Day on Mar. 14, where scouts from 23 NFL and CFL teams were in attendance.
Kent Lee Platte, the developer of the highly-utilized metric Relative Athletic Score (RAS), scored Andreessen a stellar 9.36 out of 10, when compared to other linebackers’ Combine and Pro Day performances.
Kent Lee Platte | https://ras.football/ras-information/?PlayerID=25554&ovl=Buffalo
Andreessen demonstrated his overall athleticism at Pro Day, dominating bench press with 32 reps of 225, while showing out in the speed and explosiveness categories. His 38-inch vertical jump, 10-foot, 2-inch broad jump, and 4.64-second 40-yard dash were among his other notable measurements. While the 6’0” is slightly undersized for the position, Andreessen thrived in every area he could control that day.
On the field, Andreessen excelled most in defending the run, as evidenced by his notable tackle numbers. He is equipped with good closing speed when making tackles, and he takes smart angles to wrap up ball carriers. He sets the boundary very well and doesn’t get beat to the sideline too often. Overall, Andreessen is an excellent open field tackler, and he attacks with good vision — hyperaware of a running back’s location at all times.
He played a significant amount of zone coverage at Buffalo, accumulating two pass breakups in his lone FBS season. Andreessen was primarily tasked with defending the middle of the field roughly 10 yards from the line of scrimmage, although he worked in the flats from time to time — displaying the speed and agility necessary to keep pace with route runners.
Areas of Andreessen’s game that could use further refinement include his ability to shed blocks. Opposing linemen took him out of plays sometimes at Buffalo, so Andreessen needs to work on bouncing off blocks and recovering in quicker fashion. Additionally, while he was not tasked to blitz much at Buffalo, he could improve technique in this area and circumnavigate blockers in more efficient fashion.
If Andreessen makes a roster for the 2024 NFL season, it is likely he is tasked with kickoff and punt coverage duties. That being said, one other plus the Depew, NY native offers is vast special teams experience, and the quality of effort he provides in that facet of the game could come in handy for a first-year linebacker — especially a late-round pick or undrafted free agent.
Those are the most common landing spots for Andreessen, according to mock drafts, but his Pro Day performance should be a valuable asset skyrocketing his stock. He participated in a wide range of interviews already, including his hometown Buffalo Bills, so be on alert for Andreessen’s name during the final rounds of the draft.