You say that but he finished 6th in the B & F in 2010 and 8th in 2012.
He's been good for a while and a top liner since 2014.
"Good for a while" is fair. You don't get to play 200 games without being a good player.
The 6th was under the old voting system that favoured players who play more games, and Edwards was one of three to play every match. A decent fourth year, but it wasn't our strongest list.
Finished outside the top ten 8 times in 12 seasons, which is a fair reflection of his place in the pecking order for the majority of his career.
2015-17 he finished 12th/13th/15th @ 26-28yo. The maligned Grigg was 5th/6th/9th in the same period. Brandon Ellis was 11th/7th/11th @ 22-24yo.
He was always the guy with the unique skillset who did some eye-opening things, but frustrated by mixing his form and not standing up in big moments or matches (e.g. first three finals). It has all clicked for him in the last two years and his last ~50 matches incorporating premiership, AA and part-time captaincy have rewritten his CV. In that time he's gone from a good player to a little marvel.