prospects that could contribute to the Redskins"TJ Edwards Chase Roullier Jersey , Linebacker School: Wisconsin | Conference: Big Ten Experience: Senior | Age: 22Height / Weight: 6-0 / 230 lbsProjected Draft Status: 4-5th RoundNFL Comparison: Hardy Nickerson Jr.College Statistics Player Overview Edwards was a four-year starter in the Badgers’ stout 3-4 defense. A Freshman All-American, in his first career start, Edwards made 12 tackles in Wisconsin’s 2015 opener against Alabama. He led the Badgers in tackles as a freshman and sophomore, and was second as a junior, when he was a finalist for the Butkus Award and a first-team All-American in 2017.He considered leaving a year early for the 2018 NFL Draft, but was given a “return to school” grade by the NFL draft advisory board. Still, Edwards entered his senior season with high expectations, and set career highs in tackles, solo tackles, and tackles for loss in 2018. Athletic Traits Edwards unable to participate in drills during last month’s NFL Combine due to an ankle injury. Depending on who you ask (not laser timed) Edwards ran his 40 yard dash in the high 4.7s to mid 4.8s at Wisconsin’s pro day, while weighing in at 235 pounds. His other numbers included a 32.5-inch vertical and a 112-inch broad jump.According to draft analyst Tony Pauline, Edwards looked good during position drills but wrote “The concern of scouts is the size and speed, as they believe Edwards would have to be closer to 250 pounds to stuff the run, which is what he does well. But once he weighs 250 pounds, he’ll be more of a five-second 40 guy.”The FilmSee more of his filmStrengths A dominant run defender, with 367 tackles over four years at UW.Edwards’ instincts, intelligence and toughness cover up his lack of elite athleticism.Been described as a “throw-back” player with a high motor.When watching his junior tape, Edwards did an excellent job (credited with 7 PBU and 4 INTs) at reading the QB’s eyes and looked very comfortable patrolling the shallow zone.Weaknesses It today’s NFL, it’s ok to be undersized, as long as you compensate for it with near elite athleticism, but Edwards does not. Looks stiff, with tight hips, and limited change of direction. Based on his style of play, he may need to play at or near 250 pounds in the NFL, which would further limit his movement skills. What Others Are SayingPrior to the Combine, Mel Kiper stated Edwards likely wouldn’t test great but is a “smart, instinctive linebacker who could come off the board in the third or fourth round”.Fran Duffy - “T.J. Edwards is one of my favorite linebackers in the country. A four-year starter in a pro-style defense, Edwards can do a little bit of everything. An extremely instinctive player against the run, Edwards is physical downhill, uses his hands well, and navigates through traffic at a high level. Moving in reverse in coverage, Edwards may not be the best athlete in the world, but he’s got great instincts and ball skills in that area and has made some great plays on the ball over the course of his career. I think he’s a three-down player in the NFL.”NFL.com draft profile: “He’s the kind of player that nobody in our scouting department gets excited about because he’s not fast or splashy, but he knows how to play. We need depth and we need guys who know how to play and are dependable and durable.” -- Linebackers coach for NFC teamHow He Would Fit On The RedskinsAs we have mentioned before, the Redskins enter the 2019 season with uncertainty at ILB, but with QB and EDGE being bigger needs, Washington may decide to wait until Day 3 before selecting an off-the-ball LB.Given his role at Wisconsin, Edwards projects best as a MIKE linebacker in a 3-4 defense. Edwards had a very productive collegiate career, including 366 tackles and 10 interceptions in his career. He was an All-American in 2017.While analysts will tell you his play slipped some as a Senior, he finished 2018 with 31 more tackles than his Junior season. Of coarse, collegiate production is not a very good indicator for NFL success, and Edwards projects as an early Day 3 pick largely due to ordinary athletic traits. Specifically, he is verystiff in space, with poor change of directions skills in coverage. However Quinton Dunbar Jersey , he has the character, motor, and football intelligence to outplay his draft position. ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Even after Dak Prescott rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown last week, the Washington Redskins aren’t zeroing in on stopping the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.“We don’t really care about him running,” linebacker Zach Brown said.“Him running is not really our concern.”Their concern is Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys’ top running back who’s coming off 106 yards and a score against Jacksonville. After seeing Cam Newton with Carolina, the Redskins are prepared for Prescott, but after ranking last in the league in run defense last season — including allowing 351 yards in two games against Dallas — the Redskins know it all starts with containing Elliott.“Definitely with their O-line, their running game is something that definitely jumps off on film,” linebacker Mason Foster said. “You don’t want to start thinking about Cam Newton or thinking about Dak Prescott so much that you’re letting Zeke and (Panthers running back Christian) McCaffrey run free because those are the guys who really can hurt you.”Amid plenty of inconsistency , Washington has not allowed an opponent to rush for more than 104 yards in a game so far this year. Newton was the Panthers’ leading rusher when they had just 81 yards on the ground.“One of our things is trying to make a team one-dimensional because we know if you put it in the air, you eventually might make a mistake,” Brown said. “The run is just something we’ve got to make sure we stop. If a team can run the ball on you, they can kind of control the game. So we’ve got to make sure they’re not running that ball on us.”The big difference for the Redskins this season is the addition of first-round pick Daron Payne and the return of a healthy Jonathan Allen on the defensive line. The Alabama products plus young defensive linemen Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle finally give Washington the muscle up front to handle prolific running attacks.“Having Jon Allen back, Ioannidis fully healthy, Ryan (Kerrigan) — all these guys are physical up front, closing gaps,” Foster said. “Guys are going to bust runs or guys are going to make plays, but it’s about limiting those plays and making them earn it.”The Cowboys’ diverse run schemes present what Redskins coach Jay Gruden called a big challenge for Payne, Allen and the young defensive linemen. But those guys think they’re plenty prepared to handle the dual-threat ground game of Elliott and Prescott.“Just hit them in the mouth, get the O-line going backwards, win the line of scrimmage,” Settle said Wednesday. “They got to block us. We don’t have to worry about them. They got to stop us from accomplishing what we want to accomplish. I feel like the more focused we are, the more dominant we play.”No one is calling the Redskins’ defense dominant quite yet, but the organization zeroed in on Payne with the concept of him being a difference-maker against the run and the pass. Elliott running all over them contributed to the decision to take Payne 13th overall.“When you have a weakness, you’ve got to address it,” Gruden said. “Daron Payne was, we thought, the best run-stopper — him and Vita Vea — in the draft and we were lucky to get him. Obviously we paid it huge consideration for adding a player of that caliber.”Payne has been every bit of what coaches expected, but he can’t stop Elliott by himself. Safety D.J. Swearinger said defenders are thinking, “We’ve got to find ways to stop 21” and let the rest of Dallas’ offense beat them.That’s what Gruden wants to hear, putting the emphasis on gang-tackling a running back who doesn’t go down easily.“These one-on-one tackles against Zeke are easier said than done,” Gruden said. “Great backs can make the unblocked player miss or run through them for another 5 or 6 yards, and that’s what he’s done in his career. … There’s always going to be a free guy coming, and that guy has got to make his presence felt and make that tackle or at least hold him up for when other guys can get off blocks and make the tackle.”NOTES: WR Jamison Crowder (ankle), RB Adrian Peterson (shoulder/ankle/knee), WR Paul Richardson (shoulder/knee), LG Shawn Lauvao (calf), RG Brandon Scherff (knee), CB Danny Johnson (broken right forearm) and S Troy Apke (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Gruden said Crowder is the most iffy to play against Dallas. … The Redskins plan to hold a moment of silence for longtime reporter Rich Tandler, who died unexpectedly Tuesday at age 63. A team spokesman says a plaque will be placed at Tandler’s seat in the press box at FedEx Field, which will remain empty.
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