STRENGTHS - Edwards is a cornerback with a reasonable amount of athleticism and play-making ability. He can flip his hips and run without losing ground, and does a nice job in transition to stay tight on his man. He does an adequate job in man coverage because of his ability to hit top speed quickly. He has average instincts and displays decent awareness on the field. He can close on the ball with above average deep speed and good ability to click and close on throws in front of him. He has added value as a kick returner.
WEAKNESSES - Edwards is a small player and there is always a concern for little cornerbacks in the NFL. He can get pushed around at the line of scrimmage in press coverage and isn't an overly reliable player at the LOS. There are times when he doesn't look comfortable on space in zone coverage, like he doesn't know where to be. Edwards has broken up a bunch of passes in college, but he has very few interceptions in relation to the number of breakups. He doesn't possess good hands and drops passes that should be turnovers. However, he does manage to bat down passes and make plays in that area. Edwards isn't a trustworthy run defender as he doesn't look consistently take contact well. There is an arrest in his past that led to his dismissal from Tennessee.
SUMMARY - While Edwards is an athletic player, he is limited by his small frame and the inability to add much weight to that frame. He has a very good hip transition and doesn't lose any ground when he turns to run with a wide receiver. He is both quick and fast and does a good job of accelerating, both in short areas and with long speed. While he can turn and run with his man, he can get bullied at the line of scrimmage because of his small stature and his size hurts him down the field as well. He looks average when diagnosing the run versus the pass, and can get beat because he can be overly aggressive at times, especially when he gets caught peeking at the quarterback's eyes. He has below average hands and drops balls that should be turnovers, but the positive here is that he has gotten into position to break up passes on a high level in college. In run defense, Edwards looks to want to avoid contact at times and isn't reliable to step up and make plays against the run. Edwards was kicked off of the Tennessee football team after his freshman season for armed robbery and he will have to answer the questions about his character. As a returner, he gives added value because of his speed, lateral agility and ability to make tacklers miss. There are many things to knock him for, especially his size. However, there are good things like his speed and quickness, and he will help in the return game. He warrants fifth-round consideration at this time for the reasons listed above.