A.J. Epenesa brings power to the next level
A.J. Epenesa is a football guy.
The defensive end prospect out of Iowa followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a Hawkeye, where he stuffed the stat-sheet on his way to putting together an extremely productive career at Kinnick Stadium.
For Epenesa, the issue is not on-field results--he consistently proved he could dominate Big Ten opponents through brute strength. The question is whether that dominance can be transferred in the professional ranks.
After running a 5.04 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, scouts are wondering if his skill set allows him to have the same success at the next level.
In three seasons at Iowa, Epenesa racked up 101 total tackles, 36 tackles for loss and 26.5 sacks. In both his junior and senior season, the Illinois native received First Team All-Big Ten honors. His senior year, he earned Second Team All-American accolades.
Yet despite constant production in college, the speed of the 280 lb. former Hawkeye has NFL scouts wondering if he has the capability to play on the interior of a defensive line as well as off the edge.
“Whenever they ask me I tell them it’s not my most comfortable position just because I didn’t have 100,000 reps at it like I did at end,” Epenesa said at the NFL Combine, responding to teams asking him to play inside. “They all say I look raw at it like I say I do but they also say it’s something that I look like I could grow to be better at.”
Luckily for Epenesa, the tutelage of his father prepared him to play all over the defensive line. Eppy played defensive line at Iowa as well and coached A.J. growing up, training him to shed blocks since he was a kid.
“My dad taught us from a young age to get our hands on people and then throwing them or getting off blocks,” Epenesa said. “Since I was 9 or 10 years old is when I first started learning how to do moves.”
There is no doubt those lessons paid off in college--it took just three years for that truth to come shining through. Now the question becomes whether those moves will work on bigger, faster and stronger offensive linemen in the NFL.
According to NFL.com, Epenesa has the stock of a potential starter two years down the road in the league. Though his size stands out, scouts question his ability to change direction and work against talented professional tackles.
For the Falcons, Epenesa was the favorite at the 16th pick before the combine knocked his stock to the late first round and early second round. If Atlanta targets a pass rusher with their first round pick as it stands, Epenesa may be a bit of a reach.
But if somehow the Iowa product is there for the Falcons’ pick in the second round, he has the potential to be the steal of the draft.
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