It’s late February and that means it is time for the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. A school-record nine players off of this season’s national championship team got invites. Linebacker Aiden Fisher was the first to go through the media gauntlet as he prepares for the next level.
Fisher told reporters gather in Indianapolis that he will not go through workouts at the combine, instead opting to work out and test at Indiana’s Pro Day on April 1st.
“I think Pro Day is the goal for me to do a lot of my testing this week, I think is meeting with teams, doing the entire process, but also being able to do the position work with you know, my other linebackers here, as well as the coaches and scouts.” Fisher said.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gave this overview of Fisher on his Combine profile:
Fisher is a Mike linebacker who can run the defense as an extension of his coordinator. He’s well-built with leadership and football character that are praised by teammates and coaches. Fisher has the instincts and feel of an NFL player but lacks the needed quickness and athletic ability. He reads play designs and gets to the action at a high rate, but a lack of range, cover talent and plus open-field tackling will make the NFL jump challenging.
What Fisher may lack athletically, he makes up with in his will to do anything to get on the field. Fisher talked about what he would bring to any NFL team that picks him.
“I’m committed to a process where I just want to be the best at what I do. And if that’s playing me on special teams, play me on defense. I’ll do anything for a team that wants to win. All I want to do is win. And that’s in any role.” Fisher explained.
Fisher Taking it all in at NFL Scouting Combine
At one point during IU’s run to a national championship, Fisher compared the team to robots. However, as he chases his NFL dreams he has come to enjoy the moment more.
“I used to dream about things like today and this week. It is a surreal, you know, experience. I think, you know, about a week ago, when we were talking about, you know, travel plans and, you got to go to the combine. I was really set in. And for me, I just want to take it all in. Like I said, I used to dream and pray about being in this position. So I’d be a fool not to kind of sit down and smell the roses a little bit.
A Late End to the Season Puts Fisher Behind “Schedule”
The college football calendar has been the subject of much criticism, rightfully so, but one of the underreported negatives is that players on team’s playing deep into the Playoff are weeks behind everyone else training for the next level. The Hoosiers (and Hurricanes) both ended the season January 19th while the majority of college football teams were done playing weeks before. The late end is one of the reasons why Fisher is not participating in some Combine activities.
“There was a solid little stretch with a health period where I had to get my body and my legs back under me. A season like that, you’re getting beat up a lot. You’re playing physical teams, especially in the playoffs. It took me about a week or two to get my body back healthy, to get running again.” Fisher said. “I think that’s the difference is, right now, you’re not really training for football. You’re training to run fast. You need to be at your best every day, especially with your health. So for me, there was no rush to rush this thing, especially with our Pro Day as late as it is, but it was all about just getting as healthy as possible, as fast as possible.”