The Edmundses can go ahead and cancel that second night of a hotel room in Arlington, Texas.
Both Tremaine, a linebacker, and Terrell Edmunds, a safety, were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, with Tremaine going to the Bills with the 16th overall pick and Terrell being taken by the Steelers at No. 28.
It’s the first time in the history of the draft that two brothers were picked in the first round in the same year.
“It’s a blessing for my family. It’s a blessing for my city. It’s a blessing for my school,” Terrell Edmunds said in an ESPN interview shortly after being selected. “I’m thankful to everyone who’s supported us along the way.”
It means three Edmundses will be in the NFL next year. Their oldest brother, Trey, latched on with the Saints as an undrafted free agent last season.
The family patriarch, Ferrell, was a third-round pick by the Miami Dolphins 30 years ago in the 1988 draft. Ferrell had a seven-year career as a tight end for Miami and Seattle, catching 148 passes for 1,894 yards and 12 touchdowns and twice earning Pro Bowl recognition.
The entire family was in attendance Thursday night at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, which hosted the event. So too was Hokies head coach Justin Fuente and defensive coordinator Bud Foster.
The Edmundses become the 10th and 11th first-round picks in Virginia Tech history and the first since Kyle Fuller went 14th to the Bears in 2014.
"It means everything to me," Tremaine said in an ESPN interview shortly after being selected. "I've got such a good support system. A lot of family came out. Friends came out. I can't thank them enough. This is a special moment for me and I know it's a special moment for them."
Tremaine went first, as he was expected to be. The Bills, who struck gold when they selected Bruce Smith No. 1 overall in the 1985 draft, traded up into Baltimore’s spot at 16 to make Tremaine the second linebacker to come off the board after Georgia’s Roquan Smith went 8th to Chicago.
"He was there and we felt like we couldn’t let him fall any more," Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said at a post-draft press conference. "We needed that and thought it was a good fit for us.”
“You look for guys that can make plays," said Bills coach Sean McDermott, who was drawn to Edmundses' versatility. "In terms of changing games, affecting the quarterback in a lot of different ways is part of what attracted us to Tremaine.”
The 6-foot-5, 253-pound Edmunds was an All-American for the Hokies last year who had 226 tackles, 35 tackles for a loss and 10 tackles for a loss in his three-year Virginia Tech career.
"He's a rare combination of size and speed," ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said right after the pick. "He's 6-5, 253 pounds and he runs a 4.5. You just don't see linebackers like that. And then he's got some versatility. Could play in a 3-4 as an outside linebacker. He can play inside. He can rush the quarterback. I think there a lot of things to like."
"I think the one thing you want to continue to see him grow in is just being a little more forceful in the way he approaches the game and makes plays behind the line of scrimmage."
He turns 20 on May 2. At 19 years, 11 months and 25 days old, he’s the second-youngest player in the common era of the draft (since 1967), behind only defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, a Louisville defensive tackle taken 10th overall by the Texans in 2007 who was a little over a month younger.
Terrell went later in the night to the Steelers with the 28th pick. He selection was announced by Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, who made an emotional appearance on stage after a scary spinal injury last year, walking across the stage to make the pick.
Terrell, who also declared a year early, was a three-year starter for the Hokies who wore many hats, playing cornerback, rover and free safety. He made 182 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss and six interceptions in his Virginia Tech career.
"The guy is absolutely put together," ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said. "He is best when he's coming downhill, and he can lay the lumber on some people and Pittsburgh needed that. ... That kind of physicality is something Pittsburgh missed."
"He not only has the physical ability to do that, but what really impressed us was his mental ability to be able to move and make the adjustments and really be the quarterback on the back end of a really good defense," said Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert, who worked for the Dolphins when they drafted Ferrell in 1988.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was impressed by Terrell's versatility.
"Anything you can imagine him doing, you saw him do on Virginia Tech's defensive tape," Tomlin said. "You're not speculating in that evaluation. You saw him do a number of the things that will be on the menu for him. So we've got a sharp, young, versatile guy who is a very good communicator that plays with physicality. Quite simply, he checked all the boxes for us."
Several other Hokies are waiting to hear their name called in the draft, including defensive tackle Tim Settle, offensive lineman Wyatt Teller, cornerbacks Brandon Facyson and Greg Stroman and wide receiver Cam Phillips.