Va. Tech linebacker a unique talent combo
Tremaine Edmunds has uncanny size, speed for his position.
It’s rare that
INDIANAPOLIS — NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock can’t think of a fair comparable for a player.
This is the case with Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
“That’s the definition of unique:
there is only one of them,” Mayock said of Edmunds.
The Dolphins need a linebacker who can play the run and the pass and occasionally rush the passer. They could really use a
linebacker to pair with veteran Kiko Alonso and youngster Raekwon McMillan.
And more than anything, Miami needs to select an impact player with the 11th overall pick in the NFL draft. Edmunds is a rare combination of size (6-feet-5, 253
pounds) and speed (4.54 in the 40-yard dash). That 40 time was nearly as fast as Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith, who’s smaller.
And perhaps most intriguing about Tremaine, the son of for-
mer Dolphins tight end Ferrell Edmunds, is his age.
“The beauty of this kid is he’s 19 years old,” Mayock said. “He doesn’t turn 20 until a couple days after the draft.”
So, yes, Edmunds’ upside is incredible. But what he showed he can do in college is tape-stopping.
“Edmunds combines elite size, speed and explosiveness into a productive, versatile linebacker package that will have evaluators salivating,” Lance Zierlein of NFL. com wrote.
Zierlein chose former Bears linebacker Brian
Urlacher as an Edmunds comparable.
“(Edmunds) offers tre - mendous upside as an edge rusher, where he can dip/ rip and bend around the
edge,” NFL Networks’ Daniel Jeremiah wrote. “Overall, Edmunds has All-Pro ability. His upside is outrageous.”
Jeremiah ranks Edmunds at the third-best player in the draft. ESPN ranks Edmunds as the fifth-best player in
the draft. If he is available at 11, a bet on Edmunds is a well-considered choice.
Edmunds can stuffff the run, but he also has incredible range and athleticism.
“Feet pump and trigger like pistons,” Zierlein wrote. “Excellent lateral quickness to scrape and stalk. Uses his size and speed to cast a wide, playmaking net and cover large swaths of grass.”
Jeremiah says Edmunds can “easily mirror running backs and tight ends” and has even been seen matching up with and redirecting slot receivers.
Sound like that would be helpful?
How about Jeremiah on Edmunds’ abilit y to hold up against the run?
“Against the run, he i s quick to key, fill and finish as a tackler,” Jeremiah said.
“He has rare lateral range and collec ts tackles from sideline to sideline. The former Hokie flashes the ability to shoot his hands and play off blocks, but this is one area where he can improve.”
Edmunds’ humility off the fifield belies his aggression on the fifield. Edmunds’ Twitter handle includes the words “Savage” and with good reason.
Asked by a female reporter in Indianapolis if he’s the best linebacker in this draft, Edmunds simply replied, “Yes, ma’am.”
If Edmunds and Smith are both available Thursday, Miami will have an interesting choice.