This is basically what is boils down to with Edmunds;
Pros: Down hill player with natural balance and leverage. He does a great job of running through blocks and not getting tied up to the point he cant disengage. Once contact is made with the guard he rarely gets pushed out of the opportunity to make the play. He shines when things are simple e.g. quick hand off, a QB run, quick passes, obvious passing situations etc. basically when the decision on how to react is dictated right away by the offense. When he gets to play like this, he is reminiscent of a tanner Brian Urlacher making plays on supreme physical talent.
Cons: Minimal football IQ (at the moment). Its almost comical the contrast of him on plays that develop within the first 1.5 seconds and those that take longer like play action. He is often caught flat footed and wont flow to the direction of the QBs eyes while he is trying to diagnose the play. This gives the advantage to his responsibility as he is late to figure out who that actually is... making him a liability in coverage especially on play-action. This is where his
boom or bust factor is the highest, is he late to react due to youth and experience or is it a low ceiling on his football IQ.
Assuming he will improve his football IQ over time then the choice between him and Smith is simply.. do you prefer more TFLs and 3rd & 1 style stops... along with some breakdowns in coverage (Edmunds).
Or more regular tackles and stops on RBs running flat routes on 3rd & 5 along with an interception or two (Smith).
If Foster can stay out of trouble and Edmunds isnt limited with his football IQ, than he provides a more physical and diverse skill set in the LB corps. But if Foster cant or Edmunds can't learn, then Smith all the way as our MLB and the short-mid field safety net.
[ Edited by TheRickestRick on Feb 28, 2018 at 3:01 PM ]