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NFL Draft Scouting Report: Tremaine Edmunds, ILB, Virginia Tech

Scouting Report: Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is profiled and evaluated for the 2018 NFL Draft.

Tremaine Edmunds - Virginia Tech Hokies

 

Position: Linebacker

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 253

Year: Junior

Hometown: Danville, VA

Experience: Jr. - 2 year starter

 

Measurables:

40yd dash: 4.54

Broad jump: 117”

Vertical: DNP

3-cone: DNP

20yd. Shuttle: DNP

Bench Press: 19 reps

 

Career Notes:

Edmunds graduated from Dan River High School shortly after his 17th birthday and arrived at Virginia Tech the following fall as one of the top, yet youngest, outside linebacker recruits in the country. After only seeing limited action in six games as a true freshman, the 6-foot-5, 236-pound sophomore quickly developed into the Hokies best defender on the field. 
 
In 2016, Edmunds finished second on the team in tackles with 106 stops to go along with his team-leading 18.5 tackles for loss. As a first-year starter, he also recorded 4.5 sacks, nine quarterback hurries, an interception and three pass breakups, demonstrating a well-rounded game. The Virginia native put together an impressive sophomore season, starting all 14 games and earning All-ACC first-team honors.
 
Edmunds further built on this success in 2017. As a 19-year-old junior, the athletic linebacker blossomed into one of the top linebackers in the country. He led the Hokies in tackles with 109 and tackles for loss with 14. He also tied for first in sacks (5.5) and led the team in forced fumbles with three. Edmunds finished the year as a third-team All-American, Butkus Award Finalist, and first-team All-ACC.
 
When Edmunds declared for the draft following the 2017 season, he became one of the youngest players in recent memory at only 19-years-old to be eligible for the NFL Draft. The son of former Pro Bowl tight end, Ferrell Edmunds, the Virginia Tech product shows a lot of athletic promise and is still young enough to grow a lot as a player.
 

Injury Report:

Edmunds enters the NFL without any significant injury history. He started all 14 games as a sophomore and all 13 games his junior season. He hasn’t missed a start since emerging as the Hokies starting outside linebacker in 2016.

 

Career Stats

 

Analysis:

Athleticism: 4.5/5.0
 
Edmunds is an explosive athlete with rare physical gifts for a linebacker of his stature. He possesses both quick short-area burst to close in on the ball and recovery speed to track down ball carriers in pursuit. His 4.54 fort-yard dash time was one of the fastest among the linebacker group, and given his size and length, is impressive in and of itself. However, this speed shows up on film. Edmunds is a sideline-to-sideline defender who can make stops all over the field. He can also flip his hips and stick to tight ends down the seam or track a crossing receiver over the middle of the field. It’s this rare speed that makes him a special athlete. However, what keeps Edmunds from getting a perfect score in this area is at times his change of direction and lateral movement can be a bit labored, which is to be expected given a player of his size and length. He just doesn’t redirect his momentum quite as smoothly as the smaller linebackers in the draft class.
 
Run Stop: 4.5/5.0   
 
Edmunds is a tremendous run stopper. He can take on blocks and shed at the line of scrimmage, or he can run and chase ball carriers down outside the hash marks. He possesses both functional strength and speed, which make him a difficult defender to avoid on the field. He closes ground so quickly, but he also has the length to keep clean off the blocks. He also does an excellent job work over the top of the line and flowing to the ball. His mental processing against the run is very solid, despite being out of place once in awhile due to a mental lapse. Considering how young he is this will probably be an area he’ll improve on once he gets to the NFL. Edmunds also wreaks havoc behind the line of scrimmage and makes a lot of stops for a loss.
 
Pass Rush: 4.0/5.0  
 
Given his size and length, Edmunds could get considerations at outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He possesses enough pass rushing acumen to make the position switch and be an edge defender at the next level. He has tremendous burst and could use it to win with speed on the edge. He also shows good hand usage to shed blockers and dip under their pad level and win with leverage. He recorded 10 sacks as a blitzing linebacker his final two seasons at Virginia Tech.
 
Coverage: 4.0/5.0
 
Edmunds' length, speed, and athleticism enable him to hold up very well in coverage, especially on routes downfield. Where he might find a little trouble in the NFL is shadowing small quicker halfbacks out in space, especially on double-breaking routes. However, overall Edmunds is a very reliable defender in coverage and well beyond most linebackers coming out of college in this aspect of the game. 
 
Impact: 5.0/5.0
 
As a two-year starter, Edmunds made a lot of explosive plays behind the line of scrimmage, including 32.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Combine this with 13 quarterback hurries and four forced fumbles and it’s clear the former Hokie standout can make plays in a variety of ways on the field. Edmunds has the tools to excel in all three phases of the defense. He was consistently the best athlete on the field as a junior.
 
Summary: Edmunds is a freakish athlete with a ton of upside. Given his rare combination of size, speed, and length, the 19-year-old linebacker is truly a special talent. He should be selected in the first half of the first round of the NFL Draft. He can play every linebacker position at the next level--he could even make the transition to 3-4 outside linebacker and rush the passer if needed. He should compete for a starting spot immediately as a rookie and find a way to make an impact on a NFL defense.
 
Overall Grade: 4.40/5.0 

 

If drafted by the Packers:

Edmunds could still be on the board when the Packers are on the clock with the 14th overall pick. The versatile linebacker could fulfill so many roles on their defense and would bring a truly athletic presence to the middle of the field. The Packers could use a linebacker with Edmunds ability to cover, as well as his speed to chase down ball carriers outside the hash marks. Edmunds is not only a rangy linebacker, but he also has the size and explosive athleticism to make plays at the line of scrimmage and not get washed out of the action by opposing linemen. If he was selected by the Packers, it would also be interesting to see if Green Bay experimented with him out on the edge. He’s certainly a good enough athlete to rush the passer. He also has the size to hold the point of attack as an outside linebacker in their scheme.

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Comments (19)

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stockholder's picture

March 21, 2018 at 10:35 am

He's top 10.

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Razer's picture

March 21, 2018 at 10:59 am

Not sure that these game highlights sell very well. I would rather see us get another stud D-lineman than another decent linebacker.

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stockholder's picture

March 21, 2018 at 11:23 am

We still may get one. Vea still might be the pick at 14. It would also keep him out of the Lions hands. (You still have to have people in the trench.) Is he a Leader? Can he dominate? Can he be a game changer? I doubt he's Suh. Smith and Edmunds are more than decent. The problem is the holes. CB and now Wr. The packers have problems. To many to take a DL now.

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EdsLaces's picture

March 21, 2018 at 11:11 am

Pretty pretty please Him Smith Ward Fitz or FSU Safety who's name I always forget....guys with PLAY MAKING ABILITY!

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4thand1's picture

March 21, 2018 at 11:16 am

We need a play making freak.

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OnWisconsinGoPack's picture

March 21, 2018 at 11:24 am

I've been a proponent of not moving up in the draft due to need and lots of depth; however, Edmunds is special. Given that QBs, Barkely, Nelson and Chubb could make up anywhere from 7-8 of the top picks, is it worth giving up a 2nd and 3rd this year to move up for him? So hard....don't envy Gute, I'm lying I'd love to be GM, but a hard place to be in

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Lare's picture

March 21, 2018 at 11:54 am

Everyone is clamoring for the Packers to draft a defensive back or edge rusher, but I would love to see them draft Edmunds. Having someone like him in the middle would make everyone else around him better.

This draft is exceptionally deep in defensive backs, that frees the Packers up to fill some gaping holes with the first few picks and still add some quality CB's & S's in the mid and later rounds.

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Rossonero's picture

March 21, 2018 at 01:03 pm

Precisely-- we can take a DB in round 2.

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stockholder's picture

March 21, 2018 at 01:26 pm

Chicago Bears pick #8.

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Bert's picture

March 21, 2018 at 12:43 pm

Heck I just hope we select somebody worthy of a #14 pick. No reaching but getting good value. Can't go wrong that way.

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4zone's picture

March 21, 2018 at 12:44 pm

We now have Gaping holes in the secondary. DB has to be our top priority, not that I want it to be.

My top target is Hughes and I don't think we get him in Rd 2. If Gute wants to trade back up into round one, we might be able to swing him and an OLB or DL difference maker.
I also like Nelson in Rd 3.

We just have way too many holes to fill to draft the all. Would like to get a long term solution at TE and a deep threat at WR. RT is also a position of concern and we are thin at ILB now too.

Gute has made some moves but they've created as many problems as they have solved.

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HankScorpio's picture

March 21, 2018 at 08:59 pm

The Packers have a large gaping hole at "Athletic Freak Playmaker that can wreck havoc all over the field", too. it's a hard position to fill but if you do, it tilts the field away from a bunch of holes elsewhere.

This kid is an athletic freak. The NFL.com draft bio comparison is Brian Urlacher. Urlacher might not have been as big of an athletic freak as this kid. He'd be awfully tough to pass on.

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Rossonero's picture

March 21, 2018 at 01:45 pm

Edmunds is my favorite player for the Packers in the 1st round.

He's drawn comparisons to Brian Urlacher. He can play inside, outside, rush, and cover.

He's 6'5" 253 lbs., but runs like the wind with a 4.55 40 yard dash. He's durable, no off field issues, 2 years of production and only 19 years old. He will be an All Pro.

This is a deep CB class. The pass rusher class is not deep at all though. Wanna help out the secondary? Rush the QB. Carolina had a very avg. secondary during their 2015 SB run, but it was their pass rush that made the difference.

Unfortunately I have the Bears taking him in my mock draft.

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PackEyedOptimist's picture

March 21, 2018 at 09:15 pm

Pretty much ditto everything you said. On the plus side, I think Leighton VanderEsch or Harold Landry can also be impact players.

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Rossonero's picture

March 23, 2018 at 10:13 am

I like Landry too. Vander Esch not as much.

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Handsback's picture

March 21, 2018 at 01:28 pm

The Bears seem pretty set on taking him with their pick according to a Chicago sports writer. Take it for what it's worth.

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PackEyedOptimist's picture

March 21, 2018 at 09:13 pm

As a reference (from the NFL Combine):
Edmunds- 6'4", 253#, 4.54 40, ? 3-cone, 19 bench
VanderEsch-6'4", 256#, 4.65 40, 6.88 3-cone, 22 bench
Landry- 6'2", 251#, 4.64 40, 6.88 3-cone, 24 bench
Chubb- 6'4", 269#, 4.65 40, 7.37 3-cone, ? benchDavenport- 6'6", 4.58 40, 7.2 3-cone, 22 bench

I think Edmunds and VanderEsch are both capable of playing inside and outside, the way Clay Matthews does, and both look to be "impact players."

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MITM's picture

March 21, 2018 at 10:35 pm

Edmunds should be the top player on our draft board. Period.

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