LB T.J. Edwards, Wisconsin

6’0” – 230 lbs. – N/A
Was a two-star recruit who redshirted in his first year with the Badgers, then ended up starting in each of the subsequent four seasons, with very good all-around production. Worked his way up the depth chart quickly and has been highly productive for four years. Thickly-built, barrel-chested middle linebacker in the traditional mold, but weighed in fifteen pounds less than his listed weight at the Combine. Excellent on-field demeanor. Likes to play downhill, has pretty good instincts, and flows to the ball well. Very good motor to pursue toward the sidelines. Stays square between the tackles. Not afraid to take on blockers. Uses his arms to keep opponents out of his pads, and has good pop on contact to stick opposing fullbacks in the hole. Physical tone-setter who can lay the lumber. Lighter on his feet and more rangy than his build would indicate; looks comfortable dropping into zone coverage. Covers ground quickly with his backpedal. Does well diagnosing route combinations and putting himself in position to make tackles. Good plant and drive to punish opponents running routes over the middle of the field. Forced a lot of turnovers at the college level, both in terms of fumbles and interceptions. Height is just adequate, and has a frame which looks almost maxed out. Length appears to be just average. Will commit too early at times and take himself out of the play by stepping into the hole prematurely. Coverage duties were mostly limited to dropping into zones and doesn’t really have the type of frame to do a lot of man coverage. Might be limited to playing on the inside. Is a better athlete than his size would indicate, but is also a bit of a throwback player who some teams may want to take off the field on passing downs in the modern game. May not be quite as fast as some teams like their special-teams players to be. A very likeable prospect whose greatest strength is his ability to set the tone defensively with physical thumping between the tackles, but who is also fast and fluid enough to drop into zone coverage in the passing game. Has a very solid all-around game, and comes into the pros with the instincts and functional strength to make an early impact. Could fit in either an even or an an odd front, playing middle/inside linebacker, and potentially on a three-down basis; might fit well on a team like the Steelers.