At the end of the last season Terrell Edmunds was voted the winner of the Joe Greene Great Performance Award, given annually to the team's rookie of the year as voted on by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America.
On Friday night, Edmunds was honored at halftime and received the award from Jim Balouris, executive vice president of retail banking at PNC Bank.
Edmunds, the Steelers' first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, started 15 of the 16 games he played in last season and finished with 73 tackles, tied for third on the team, including 52 solo stops, which ranked second on the team. He had four pass defenses, three quarterback hurries, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery. He also had four special teams tackles.
"I learned a lot last year," said Edmunds. "A lot of ups and downs throughout the season. I grew more as I got snaps under my belt. I got more involved on the field. I made more plays, and now is the time to make more plays. I have to keep on developing."
Edmunds said there were both mental and physical adjustments as a rookie, and they were relatively balanced.
"I would say it's about even," said Edmunds. "It's a different task and you are playing against grown men. You have to go out there and develop your game and transition into that atmosphere."
Going into his second season the former No. 1 draft pick said he doesn't feel pressure to make that jump from year one to year two because that is what he has been always working toward.
"I wouldn't say there is pressure because it's something we do every day," said Edmunds. "It's something we've been doing since we were young. We have to go out there and perform. I have to keep progressing.
"I want to show that I got better. That's what I was working on this offseason, talking to the guys, staying motivated. We are building off things to become a better team and this year we are going to come at it. Just put it all out there so we don't have to talk about it so much."
