2018 IDP Rookie Profile: Tremaine Edmunds, LB Virginia Tech

Brandon Salamat

The IDP landscape for linebackers is about to change with this incoming draft class. It’s arguably one of the deepest classes in recent memory and the players at the top have All-Pro potential. But wait – there’s more. What if I told you there’s one linebacker prospect who has all the tools and measurables to have a higher ceiling than every LB in the draft?

If you’re wondering who; he’s one of the top prospects in this draft class and my LB1: Tremaine Edmunds from Virginia Tech. With the way the game is evolving as of late, backers who can cover and have outside speed are needed more than ever. This is where Edmunds will shine. If he lands with a good LB coach who’ll help turn his weaknesses into strengths, he’ll definitely hit his ceiling.

College

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Statistics from sports-reference.com.

Edmunds was a two-year starter at Virginia Tech and racked up 30.5 tackles for loss in both years combined. He had his best season as a junior by piling up 108 total tackles to go along with 14 TFLs and increased his 4.5 sacks to 5.5 sacks with a bonus 3 forced fumbles. He was a finalist for the Butkus Award (best linebacker) in 2017.

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Film

He has all the physical gifts to become one of the best LBs in the game. He’s built like a defensive end with LB traits (6’5″, 250 lbs). He showcases his explosiveness on film and has the ability to drop back into coverage as he could line up at slot corner to cover wide receivers. This is where he’ll contribute immediately at the next level.

Edmunds moves well in space and when he makes the right read it’s a thing of beauty. He ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash at the Combine and you see that speed on tape. Although you see what he needs to refine on tape like his patience and developing instincts, it’ll come.

He’s only 19 years old and as long as he has an LB coach who’ll help develop him refine his tools, clean up the fundamentals and learn to be patient instead of looking to make the aggressive flashy play every time, there’ll be no LB in this class with his ceiling. If it all works out, Edmunds will set a new bar for LBs. I believe in the best-case scenario, Edmunds is an Anthony Barr/Lavonte David clone and in a worst-case scenario, Tremaine is just another Aaron Curry – who jumped out at you on film but couldn’t put it together at next level.

Measurables

When you look at Edmunds spider graph from Mock Draftable and how he compares to some of his fellow draftees, I compare him with another combine freak: Marcus Davenport – an EDGE out of UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio). He’s about an inch taller than Edmunds and has about ten pounds on him but Edmunds has a longer wingspan (83” to 80”). Both had a 4.5 40-time. Phew.

If you don’t like your LBs standing 6’5″ with a wide wingspan and some quickness to his game then Edmunds is not for you. As I mentioned earlier, I believe Edmunds will set a new bar for linebackers in today’s game.

Dynasty Value

Looking for IDP ADP is equivalent to looking for a Llama supply drop on Fortnite. It’s nearly impossible. But, in my IDP-only rookie mock draft that I cooked up with a few DLF IDP writers, you’d see that Edmunds was the second LB taken and you can expect more of the same with your rookie drafts coming up. I can see someone taking Edmunds early in the second round if their offensive targets aren’t around anymore.

This is a deep LB class but Tremaine has the ability to rise above them all. If you want him, you’re going to have to think about him with your second-round pick in your rookie draft. In a startup, it’s a different story as you could probably wait until most of the household veterans have been drafted. It could be a good idea to grab another second round pick or two if you want to make sure you’ll lock him up on your dynasty team.

Conclusion

Edmunds is still raw and still a kid (19) but he has all the traits to be a future All-Pro LB and is a physical freak. He might not be an every-down LB right out of the gate but will, at the very least, contribute in sub packages with his coverage ability. Once he starts hitting his peak and putting it all together, you won’t regret drafting him as you’ll have the LB with the highest ceiling. On the right team and scheme, Edmunds screams top ten linebacker in IDP dynasty. Here are some teams that could take him in the upcoming NFL Draft and where he’ll thrive: Raiders, Niners, Cardinals, and Colts. It’s hard to see him past the 15th pick so stay tuned!

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brandon salamat
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