Virginia Tech’s Terrell and Tremaine Edmunds declare for NFL draft

A pair of brothers from Virginia Tech told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday they plan to declare for the NFL draft, as they project to become a rare duo of brothers to be drafted in the same year.

Redshirt junior safety Terrell Edmunds and true junior linebacker Tremaine Edmunds both told Yahoo Sports they’ll be leaving school early for the NFL. Each projects to go in the first three rounds, joining an impressive NFL family legacy that includes an older brother (New Orleans rookie tailback Trey Edmunds) and father (two-time Pro Bowl tight end Ferrell Edmunds) with NFL experience.

“We feel truly, truly blessed,” said Felecia Edmunds, the boys’ mother, in a phone interview. “It’s an honor and we don’t take anything for granted. It’s surreal that it’s coming to fruition.”

More than 300 pairs of brothers have played in the NFL over the decades, but few have been drafted in the same year. Notable recent pairs to go in the same draft include the Barber twins (Tiki and Ronde in 1997) and the Andrews brothers (Shawn and Stacy in 2004). The last brothers to be selected in the same draft were David and Chris Carter in 2011. Arizona selected David in the sixth round, and Pittsburgh picked Chris in the fifth.

While Tremaine and Terrell are announcing their decisions together, both Edmunds brothers came to the decision to declare for the NFL draft through separate processes. They each consulted with their family separately and said they went through extensive pros and cons lists.

Tremaine Edmunds projects as a first-round pick. He’s a 6-foot-5, 250-pound linebacker who combined for 32.5 tackles for loss the past two years. He’s strong enough to stuff the run, speedy enough to cover tailbacks and has the versatility required in the modern NFL.

Tremaine is leaving Tech after three seasons, but he started 29 of 40 games and has plenty of film to showcase his disruptiveness. (He’s on track to earn his degree in just one more semester.) “I’m very excited,” he said. “I’m living out a childhood dream.”

And he’ll be preparing for it with his brother. Terrell Edmunds is a 6-foot-2 and 220-pound safety who had 59 tackles and two interceptions before his season ended early with a shoulder injury in mid-November. (In 2016, he finished with 89 tackles and four interceptions.)

Terrell has already received a degree in multi-media journalism and his draft feedback includes grades in both the second and third round. He’s excited that he and Tremaine can go through the draft process together and root for each other, as they’re not competing for attention because they play different positions.

“It would be a blessing, honestly,” Terrell said about he and his brother getting drafted. “Both of us making it and fulfilling our dreams that we’ve always had. That would be a blessing.”

All three Edmunds brothers played for their father at Dan River High School in Virginia. All three also went to Virginia Tech, although Trey utilized a graduate transfer his senior year and finished his career at Maryland. The family went through a roll call of Virginia Tech head and assistant coaches who helped the brothers get to the NFL. They were recruited by former coach Frank Beamer and former assistant Bryan Stinespring. Terrell and Tremaine thrived in coordinator Bud Foster’s defense, as he carried over from Beamer’s staff to current coach Justin Fuente.

Both brothers and parents rattled off a litany of position coaches, support staff, academics counselors and sports information associates who helped them along the way.

“My wife and I are so thankful for everything that Virginia Tech provided for us,” Ferrell said. “What a class organization. You can’t say enough about the coaching staff, counselors and support people. They are a great, great, great organization. We can’t thank Coach Beamer and Coach Fuente enough.”

Terrell and Tremaine both credited their entire family, starting with their mom and dad, and extending out to their older brother and extended family. They have a keen appreciation for the opportunity ahead of them and acknowledged their family’s role in guiding them.

“I want to thank my entire family, but I don’t want to start naming names and leaving people out,” Tremaine said. “But definitely my mom and dad, without them I don’t know where they’d be.”

And for the final step of their journey, the brothers will be working out together. They’re training together for the NFL scouting combine and draft, one final time as teammates of sorts before their paths likely diverge to different teams on draft night.

From growing up throwing the ball around as a dad and three brothers, it’s likely all three Edmunds will be playing in the NFL next season.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it,” Terrell said. “I’m trying to stay focused on the grind and what’s coming up. But that’s going to be amazing for my family and I, that’s a milestone that many people don’t have.”

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