If the NFL draft was based on overall production from college, T.J. Edwards would have been a surefire first or second-round pick coming out of Wisconsin.
Because Edwards isn’t the fastest or most athletic middle linebacker, he slipped and went undrafted, eventually signing a contract with the Eagles after the 2019 selection process.
Edwards made the roster and excelled on special teams during his first two seasons before finally breaking out in 2021.
Pro Football Focus recently looked at the most underrated player on all 32 NFL teams and Edwards made the list for Philadelphia.
Edwards has been underrated for virtually his entire playing career. A star at Wisconsin, he posted elite PFF grades but was a marginal and undersized athlete, causing him to go undrafted in 2019. From there, he had to earn his spot by excelling on special teams, in the preseason and then eventually in the regular season. At every step along the way, Edwards earned good PFF grades and is now a capable starter. In 2021, he earned a 75.5 overall PFF grade, putting in at least above-average marks in every facet of linebacker play. Edwards is walking proof that players can still thrive in the NFL without elite physical tools.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon refused to play the former undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin until relegating Eric Wilson to the bench. The former Wisconsin linebacker was the best player at the position from there.
Edwards finished as the team’s second-leading tackler with a career-best 130 combined tackles, 5 pass deflections, 5 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits, and 1 fumble recovery.
He’ll enter 2022 as a starter at middle linebacker, but rookie Nakobe Dean and free agent signee Kyzir White loom large.
