Buffalo moved from No. 22 to No. 16 for linebacker Tremaine…
Buffalo moved from No. 22 to No. 16 for linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, sending Baltimore a third-round pick and swapping a fifth-rounder into the deal. Edmunds became an immediate starter, made two Pro Bowls and spent five seasons directing the Bills’ defense. Baltimore’s return became even larger through subsequent moves, helping create the picks used on Hayden Hurst, Mark Andrews, Kenny Young and other players while also feeding the later Lamar Jackson trade package.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 2018 1st round pick (16th overall, Tremaine Edmunds)
Baltimore Ravens Received
- pick 2018 1st round pick (22nd overall subsequently traded) and 2018 3rd round pick (65th overall subsequently traded)
Trade Analysis
Buffalo’s move for Tremaine Edmunds looked successful for years because Edmunds became exactly what the Bills expected: an immediate starting middle linebacker with rare athletic range. He started as a 20-year-old, made two Pro Bowls, played five seasons in Buffalo and became a central piece of Sean McDermott’s defense. A B-level grade for that kind of first-round result would normally be reasonable.
The complication is what Baltimore did with the return. The Ravens received No. 22, No. 65 and No. 154 while sending Buffalo No. 16. Baltimore then traded No. 22 plus a sixth-round pick to Tennessee for No. 25 and No. 125, selecting Hayden Hurst at 25. The No. 65 branch was even more productive: Baltimore moved it to Oakland for Nos. 75, 152 and 212, then traded No. 75 to Kansas City for Nos. 86 and 122. Those became Mark Andrews and Kenny Young. Andrews developed into an All-Pro-level tight end and one of Lamar Jackson’s defining targets.
The broader chain kept producing. Pick No. 125 became part of the package Baltimore sent to Philadelphia to acquire No. 32, where the Ravens selected Lamar Jackson. It would be wrong to credit the entire Jackson acquisition to this one trade because Baltimore added other significant assets, but the capital created by moving down from No. 16 clearly contributed. Hurst later generated additional draft value in a trade with Atlanta, while Andrews became a long-term star.
Buffalo did not fail. Edmunds gave the Bills five useful seasons, playoff appearances and two Pro Bowls before leaving in free agency. But Baltimore’s front office turned one first-round move-down into a web of assets that helped create multiple starters and supported one of the most important draft nights in franchise history.
The verdict flips to Baltimore. The Ravens rise to A+, while Buffalo improves slightly to B+ because Edmunds was a strong selection. This is a rare case where a team can hit on the player it traded up for and still lose the trade because the other side compounded the draft capital so effectively.