Buffalo Bills trade up to get big-time talent in Tremaine Edmunds

The Buffalo Bills weren’t done moving up in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. They traded up again, this time to 16th overall, to select LB Tremaine Edmunds.

The Buffalo Bills did some work early in the 2018 NFL Draft, in order to land their quarterback of the future in Josh Allen.

Along with trading into the top 10, the Bills also managed to hold onto their 22nd pick in the process. They used that pick to move up once again, this time to 16th overall, which was previously held by the Baltimore Ravens.

With this pick, Buffalo addressed their need for an outside linebacker, selecting Tremaine Edmunds out of Virginia Tech.

For the 16th pick, the Bills sent Baltimore the 22nd pick, along with their third rounder (65th overall), and a fifth rounder (154th overall).

Edmunds comes from a football family, with a history of playing in the NFL. While his father, two-time pro bowler Ferrell Edmunds, attended Maryland, the sons went in a different direction.

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Trey was the first member of the family to play for the Hokies. He was undrafted, but signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints in May of 2017. The running back is still with the organization.

Tremaine and his brother Terrell both declared for this year’s draft after successful careers playing on the defensive end for Virginia Tech.

In his first year, Edmunds only featured in six games. In his final two seasons, however, he was a starting outside linebacker for the Hokies.

During his junior year, Edmunds played 13 games, where he had 108 total tackles, including 14.0 for a loss, and 5.5 sacks.

Here’s a scouting report of Edmunds from Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com:

"Edmunds is an excellent run defender. He has good instincts and is quick to read his keys. His rapid reaction skills mean he is always around the ball. Add that in with his explosive speed and athleticism, Edmunds covers a ton of ground with a lot of tackles for a loss or near the line of scrimmage.He is a skilled defender at producing a lot of good down-and-distance situations for his defense. Edmunds gave Virginia Tech a lot of second-and-8s, third-and-7s, and consistently put his defense in good position. Edmunds has the size and strength to take on blockers plus the speed to cover the perimeter. He also is a hard tackler who wraps up ball-carriers and takes them hard to the turf. With his versatile skill set, Edmunds could be a middle or outside linebacker in the NFL."

At the combine, the 6 foot 5 linebacker ran a 4.54 40-yard dash, which was fifth-best among linebackers.

That ability to fly around the field will come in handy for Edmunds. He is a threat to opposing offences who want to run the ball on his side. But according to scouts, he can be caught out by play action at times and needs to work on his play recognition to excel in the NFL.

After the pick was made, Edmunds’ new teammate Lorenzo Alexander reached out on Twitter to welcome him to Buffalo:

The biggest factor with this pick is that Edmunds is only 19-years-old, as he will turn 20 in a week. Nevertheless, a talent like his, with the physical elements he presents, gives the Bills a player who has the potential to be a star in Orchard Park.

He will get ample opportunities within the Bills defence and hopefully, he will provide some much-needed depth in an area of need in Buffalo.

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Oh, and his brother Terrell was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 28th overall selection. The pair now look primed to be the next great brother tandem to play in the NFL. Although the Bills and Steelers don’t meet up in 2018, their first matchup will be one to watch.