The Buffalo Bills have not changed much over the course of the past twenty plus years. At least in terms of team success, that is. Even second-year linebacker Tremaine Edmunds could tell you that.

Unfortunately, the Bills haven’t won a playoff game since 1995. That’s a 24-year drought, third longest in the NFL behind only the Detroit Lions (28) and Cincinnati Bengals (29). To put exactly how long Bills fans have gone without a taste of playoff victory, Edmunds wasn’t born until 1998.

Now, Edmunds is twenty-one and leading the defense for a playoff-starved Bills franchise. He just eclipsed the age where he can legally drink a beer in public, and now leads the charge of bringing the Bills back to glory.

Quite the task for a young man from Ringgold, VA.

Rewind to the 2018 NFL Draft

With a year as a head coach under his belt, Sean McDermott was poised to build off of the run the 2017 Bills made into the playoffs. If not for a missed play against the Jacksonville Jaguars, we could be talking about a different history for Buffalo. But we’re not. The Bills lost and McDermott’s rookie season as head coach came to a close.

In the months leading up to the 2018 NFL Draft, one thing was clear: general manager Brandon Beane, in his full offseason as an NFL GM, needed to target a quarterback. Thankfully, the 2018 class was stacked with loaded potential, and Beane was able to trade up to the seventh spot and draft quarterback Josh Allen for Buffalo.

However, Beane wasn’t done. He had more ammo in the 22nd spot, and he wanted to use it on his QB of the defense. A phone call to Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome resulted in a swap of first-round picks, along with other draft compensation. Beane drafted Edmunds, just nine picks after Allen.

For Beane, it was an obvious decision. McDermott needed his very own Luke Kuechly (whom he coached while the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers) to man the middle of his 4-3 base defense. Who could be better than possibly the most freakishly athletic linebacker we’ve ever seen?

Edmunds is the modern-day linebacker

While the Bills have stayed the same, the NFL has changed dramatically over the past two decades. The league has transitioned from the ground-and-pound game to the west coast and spread offenses. In the past, teams didn’t need linebackers that could run a 4.53 as Edmunds can. Now, any LB with a sub 4.6 forty might be tabbed as slow.

Flashback to 30 years ago at the 1989 NFL Combine. Three linebackers were drafted in the first round: Derrick Thomas, Eric Hill, and Keith DeLong. Thomas, who was a generational talent at the position, tied for the fastest time for any linebacker at 4.58 while Hill ran a time of 4.79. Delong didn’t post a 40 time.

In 1999, another three linebackers were selected in the first round: Chris Claiborne, Andy Katzenmoyer, and Al Wilson. Claiborne and Katzenmoyer ran a 4.63 and 4.68, respectively. The fastest time ran that year was a 4.56, courtesy of Wilson.

Undoubtedly, Edmunds is a special breed. Twenty years ago you would have never expected to see a 6-5 inside LB with the measurables and awareness he possesses. His development may be just as crucial in year two as Allen’s, especially when we consider the defense is expected to run through him for years to come.