How does Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds fit in this star-studded defense?

The 28th pick of the 2018 NFL Draft

Safeties like Derwin James and Minkah Fitzpatrick were seen as the cream of the crop heading into the draft. No one expected that either of those players would fall to Pittsburgh. With polarizing players like Saquon Barkley, Baker Mayfield, and Lamar Jackson, Steelers fans weren’t paying attention to the safety from Virginia Tech.

Even with extremely high measurables, being just under 6’1, weighing 220, and running a 4.47 40 yard-dash at the NFL Combine, many had him graded as a mid-round selection. The Steelers would select Terrell Edmunds with the 28th pick of the draft.

An immediate yet unexciting impact

Edmunds would come in and start right away to end up with the second-highest tackle total of any member of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018. His athletic ability shined on the field as he was quick to be around the ball almost every play. Even as his coverage left a bit to be desired, he was quite possibly the largest contributor to turning around a problem that had plagued the Steelers in 2017.

Pittsburgh replaced 3 starters from the previous season. After having lost Ryan Shazier to injury, they replaced him with Jon Bostic. The Steelers benched their starting cornerback, Artie Burns, in favor of Coty Sensabaugh mid-season. Finally, they replaced their starting safety Mike Mitchell, with then-rookie, Terrell Edmunds.

The Steelers defense would only allow a single offensive touchdown over 50 yards. The Steelers had problems generating takeaways and overall performed at a slightly worse level defensively. But they had solved their biggest problem from the previous season by drafting a dependable tackler in the secondary.