Chicago Bears Draft Profile: Tremaine Edmunds

At 6′ 5″ 250 lbs, Virginia Tech edge rusher Tremaine Edmunds is already drawing comparisons to a Chicago Bears legend. Could the Bears take him at No. 8 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft?

The Chicago Bears have a considerable number of needs to fill through free agency or the draft, including OLB/DE.  While not a pressing need, the Bears could also stand to add some depth to the MLB position.

Interestingly, the Bears could kill two birds with one stone by taking Virginia Tech standout linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in the 2018 NFL draft.

Barring any setbacks, Leonard Floyd will return next year and resume his place as the team’s premier edge rusher.  However, the Bears are in desperate need of a compliment to Floyd on the other side of the line.  It is almost impossible to imagine them going into next season with oft-injured Pernell McPhee and Willie Young at that position.

At the MLB position, Danny Trevathan is very solid when healthy but missed most of 2016 due to injury.  In 2017, he only suited up for 12 games due to injuries and suspension.  Assuming Jerrell Freeman has likely played his last snap in Chicago, that leaves Nick Kwiatkoski at the other MLB position.  Injuries have also plagued Kwiatkoski’s career and hampered the start his Chicago Bears career.

Well, what if the Chicago Bears could add a dominant edge rusher to compliment Leonard Floyd but also add depth to the MLB position with one draft pick?  While it may sound too good to be true, Edmunds provides that opportunity.

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Tremaine Edmunds stands 6′ 5″ tall and weighs 250 lbs.  At that size, you would expect this draft profile to be of a Chicago Bulls prospect.  However, Edmunds is an athletically gifted player who seems like the perfect fit to be Vic Fangio’s new pet project.

Anyone who watches him, even for just a series, quickly notices his versatile skill set.

Edmunds has ridiculous speed, which enables him to fire through the gap and get into the backfield in a hurry.  This is evidenced by his 33 career tackles for a loss. He can also get downhill tremendously fast and converge on a receiver in space almost instantly to make tackles.

Equally stunning is his lateral quickness, which allows him to track down running backs or receivers in the flat.

Finally, his ability to match up in coverage might be the best of all linebackers in the draft, including Roquan Smith.  All of these skills and more are on display in the clip below.  After watching, it is not hard to fall in love with the idea of him roaming Soldier Field.

All of this should get Chicago Bears fans really excited.  And the thing that could really get them frothing at the mouth is the player comparisons.

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A recent draft profile compared Tremaine Edmunds to Hall of Fame selectee, and Chicago Bear legend, Brian Urlacher.  The profile went on to highlight the fact that Edmunds can play any linebacker position in any package.

This would be a tremendous value to the Chicago Bears, who could fill multiple needs with one draft pick. It would also be great for Bears fans if they watched one former linebacker enter the Hall of Fame and the career of another begins in the same year.