Paddy Fisher

Padriac William Fisher (born January 22, 1998) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Northwestern Wildcats, where he was a four-time All-Big Ten selection.

Paddy Fisher

Fisher with the Northwestern Wildcats in 2018
Personal information
Born:	(1998-01-22) January 22, 1998 (age 27) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:	Katy (Katy, Texas)
College:	Northwestern
Position:	Linebacker
NFL draft:	2021: undrafted
Career history
Carolina Panthers (2021)* Los Angeles Chargers (2021)* Michigan Panthers (2023)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Lott IMPACT Trophy (2020) Second-team All-American (2020) Big Ten Linebacker of the Year (2020) 2× First-team All-Big Ten (2018, 2020) 2× Second-team All-Big Ten (2017, 2019)

High school career

Fisher attended Katy High School in Katy, Texas. As a senior in 2015, Fisher earned All-State and All-District honors after leading Katy to a Class 6A Division II State Championship and the No. 1 ranking in the nation, according to MaxPreps.^[1] Over the course of his varsity career, he tallied 350 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and eight forced fumbles.

Recruiting

Fisher was a consensus three-star recruit and received a dozen scholarship offers, from Baylor, Houston, Wisconsin, and Northwestern, among others.^[2][3] Fisher committed to Northwestern on June 30, 2015, signed his letter of intent on National Signing Day in February 2016, and enrolled in June.^[4]

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Paddy Fisher LB	Katy, Texas	Katy High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jun 30, 2015
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: N/A (LB), N/A (TX)    247Sports: 57 (LB), 169 (TX)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved May 7, 2020.

College career

Fisher redshirted the 2016 season. In the 2017 season, Fisher earned Freshman All-America honors from the FWAA and was named the Big Ten Freshman Defensive Player of the Year by the Big Ten Network after recording 113 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and one interception. In 2018 as a redshirt sophomore, Fisher finished with 116 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles and an interception to earn nominations to the Big Ten First-team and the Associated Press All-America Third-team. The next year in 2019, Fisher registered 88 tackles, six tackles for loss, as well as one interception and one forced fumble in 12 games.

Career statistics

Northwestern Wildcats career statistics[5]
Year	Team	GP	Tackles				Sacks	Pass defense		Fumbles		Safeties	TDs
			Solo	Ast	Total	TFL	Sk	Int	PD	FF	FR
2016	Northwestern	0	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
2017	Northwestern	13	65	46	111	9.0	0	1	3	4	0	0	0
2018	Northwestern	14	63	53	116	5.0	1	1	2	4	0	0	0
2019	Northwestern	12	39	49	88	6.0	1	1	3	1	0	0	0
2020	Northwestern	9	47	39	86	4.5	0	1	2	1	1	0	0
Career		48	214	187	401	24.5	2	4	10	10	1	0	0

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 3+1⁄4 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	32+1⁄8 in (0.82 m)	9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m)	4.91 s	1.72 s	2.89 s	4.47 s	7.00 s	31.5 in (0.80 m)	9 ft 2 in (2.79 m)	20 reps
All values from Pro Day[6][7]

Carolina Panthers

Fisher signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent on May 10, 2021.^[8][9] He was waived on August 28, 2021.^[10]

Los Angeles Chargers

On October 26, 2021, Fisher was signed to the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad.^[11] He was released on November 2, 2021.

Michigan Panthers

On August 22, 2022, Fisher signed with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL).^[12] He was not part of the roster after the 2024 UFL dispersal draft on January 15, 2024.^[13]