Skip to main content

Bills trade with Ravens to draft Tremaine Edmunds

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane is burning up the phone lines Thursday night.

The Bills traded up with the Ravens to select Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Beane will also receive the Ravens' fifth-round pick (No. 154), while sending the No. 22 and No. 65 selections to Baltimore in his second swap of the evening. The Bills also traded up No. 7 for Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen.

While Edmunds' selection was special, he played a part in history on Thursday night. His brother -- Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds -- was selected No. 27 overall by the Steelers. They are the first brothers ever to be selected in the first round of the same draft.

Tremaine Edmunds is ranked No. 6 on NFL Newtork draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's list of top 50 prospects. He's the first linebacker taken by the Bills in the first round since three-time Pro Bowl selection Shane Conlan was drafted in 1987.

The son of former Dolphins and Seahawks tight end Ferrell Edmunds, a two-time Pro Bowler in his own right, Edmunds is one of the youngest players in the draft, turning 20 next week. Boasting freakish athleticism, he's drawn comparisons to Bears Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher and Vikings star Anthony Barr.

"He does anything you want," one scout told BobMcGinnFootball.com. "He can run, he can stack, he can use his arms, he's got eyes and he's a great person. A slam dunk."

Jeremiah believes Edmunds offers All-Pro ability with "outrageous" upside. He not only rushes the passer, but also matches up with tight ends and scat backs in coverage.

"He dissects a play and hits the destroy button" is how NFL Network analyst Steve Smith put it.

This is an outstanding fit for a team desperately in need of a playmaking linebacker to round out Sean McDermott's front seven.