Tremaine Edmunds has a shot to be the first linebacker picked in this year’s draft.
Tremaine Edmunds is an imposing linebacker prospect. He is 6’5″ and weighs about 235 pounds. The scary thing is that he could even add weight to his frame. He is a good run stopper with the toughness to take on inside blocks. He is also agile in the middle of the field and has the hands to get off blocks. I liked to see him make key tackles against runners and knock the ball out when it was possible. The other thing that makes him a first rounder is his speed. I would feel confident lining him up in man coverage. He has the speed to stay with the receiver or tight end. He also uses that speed to cover ground in the run game.
There is one big weakness in his game and that is that he can get caught over-pursuing. He often is right about where to be, but sometimes he is wrong and it can be a bit of a liability is filling his assignment. The other issue I see in his game is that he needs to have better hustle on running plays when he gets beat. He needs to have that urgency when the ballcarrier gets into the secondary. I don’t see it as a huge issue, but it is something to improve upon.
I see Edmunds as a first-round linebacker. I think he is capable of playing in the middle as well as on the outside. He mostly played the outside in college so a team may want to keep him there. His run defense and size make him capable of being the guy in the middle. This is an area where Edmunds has it over Roquan Smith or Malik Jefferson. If a team needs a mike linebacker, he is probably your best bet. I could also see him getting drafted in the middle of the first round as an outside linebacker. He has the familiarity and speed to excel at that position as well.
- TAGS
- 2018 NFL Draft
- Scouting Report
- Tremaine Edmunds
- Virginia Tech
