Aiden Fisher LB Indiana |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Scouting Report: Weaknesses

• Undersized frame with limited room to add functional weight.
• Lacks the foot speed to handle backs on option routes in man coverage.
• Tight hips limit his ability to flip and run with crossers or play-action.
• Struggles to stack and shed when offensive linemen get hands on him at the second level.
• Open-field tackling drops off against shifty skill players in space.
• Allowed a high completion rate when targeted in zone coverage at Indiana.

Scouting Report: Summary

Fisher's path to a roster will run through his ability to be a dependable early-down run defender and a quality special teams contributor. His instincts against the run are real. He processes blocking schemes fast, fills the right gaps, and makes tackles at or near the line of scrimmage at a high rate. That run defense ability, paired with his leadership and communication, gives him a floor as a backup MIKE in a scheme that keeps him in the box and limits his coverage exposure.

The concern is what happens on passing downs. His coverage numbers improved from his first year at Indiana to his second, but he still gave up catches at a rate that will concern NFL coordinators. The tight hips and average foot speed show up most when he has to turn and carry anything vertical or handle a running back breaking outside on a wheel route. He is not going to win man coverage reps against NFL-caliber pass catchers, and even in zone, his range to close on throws is limited.

The best version of Fisher at the next level is in a run-heavy front that plays two-high shells and asks its MIKE to be a downhill thumper rather than a coverage piece. His special teams value and run-game instincts could earn him a long career as a depth linebacker. The ceiling is a rotational early-down contributor; the floor is a core special teamer who coaches trust to be where he is supposed to be.