A former walk-on who became Wake Forest's all-time leader in passes defended, Nick Andersen brings physical, versatile safety play to the Rams as a rookie.
Nick Andersen is a rookie safety who signed with the Los Angeles Rams after going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Clifton, Virginia native began his Wake Forest career as a walk-on and developed into a team captain and one of the most productive defensive backs in program history before joining the Rams to compete for a roster spot.
Path to the league
Andersen joined Wake Forest as a walk-on safety in 2020 and worked his way into the starting lineup, eventually being voted a team captain by his teammates. He went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent, where he has been competing for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Career highlights
Andersen finished his Wake Forest career with 27 passes defended, the most in program history, and eight interceptions, the 11th-most in school history. He was graded by Pro Football Focus as the second-best safety in the ACC and among the top 15 nationally, one of only a few conference safeties to rank in the top three in both coverage and run defense.
2025 season recap
In his final season at Wake Forest, Andersen played all 13 games and led the team with 106 total tackles, adding 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, seven pass breakups and a blocked kick. He was selected as an Athlon Preseason All-ACC honoree and served as a team captain before going undrafted and signing with the Rams.
Sources
- ESPN: Nick Andersen
- Wake Forest Athletics: Nick Andersen
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Wake Forest
- Hometown
- Clifton, VA, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
