Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports
Draft Prospect Preview | DE A.J. Epenesa, Iowa
Height: 6-foot 6
Weight: 280 lbs
Grade: Junior
School: Iowa
A.J. Epenesa is a defensive end, originally from Glen Carbon, Illinois. He attended Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Illinois. Epenesa was a five-star recruit that ended up committing to play collegiately at Iowa in January of 2017.
Ohio State’s Chase Young is clearly the top-rated edge rusher in this year’s draft class, but Epenesa is also going to be highly coveted by teams this April. A guy that’s taller than J.J. Watt and just a few pounds lighter, Epenesa has the build to be a top defensive end in the NFL.
Epenesa is coming off an impressive junior season at Iowa in which he had 49 total tackles (14 tackles for loss), 11.5 sacks, three passes defended and four forced fumbles.
The Associated Press named him as a second-team All-American for the 2019 season. During Iowa’s 49-24 win over USC in the 2019 Holiday Bowl, Epenesa recorded four total tackles, 2.5 sacks and also had a forced fumble.
This standout performance earned him the Defensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl. Less than three weeks after that game, Epenesa announced that he would be entering the 2020 NFL Draft.
Pro Football Focus Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner has Epenesa ranked as the No. 14 overall prospect in this year's draft. He’s almost certainly going to be a first-round pick, but might not be selected in the top ten.
If a team is looking for an edge rusher in the first round, Epenesa is considered as the second-best option behind Young.
During his three years at Iowa, Epenesa developed into an elite pass rusher in one of the toughest conferences in college football. He played in 11 games in his freshman year and had 15 total tackles, 4.5 sacks and one forced fumble.
Epenesa got more playing time during his sophomore year, recording 10.5 sacks, 37 total tackles, three passes defended and four forced fumbles in 13 games played. He is now entering the NFL Draft following a strong junior campaign at Iowa.
Why He’s a Fit
There was a time during the 2019 season when it seemed likely that the Giants would end up with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, putting them in prime position to draft Young. However, late-season wins over the Miami Dolphins ad Washington Redskins essentially squashed this possibility. Unless Washington decides to trade down, they will almost certainly be drafting Young.
Giants general manager Dave Gettleman has a few different avenues that he can pursue in the first round of this year’s draft. If he wants to get an edge rusher in the first round, Epenesa should be the guy he zeros in on.
For one thing, he’s going to be a lot easier to get than Young. Washington will probably be receiving plenty of calls from teams wanting to trade up to draft Young, so the chances that the Giants could work out a deal with them are very slim.
Additionally, if Gettleman decides to target Epenesa in the first round, he could trade down and still easily end up with him. This move would give the Giants at least a couple of additional draft picks.
If the Giants do end up drafting Epenesa, he has the potential to be the Giants’ next great edge rusher. This is a team that has not had an elite pass rusher since Jason Pierre-Paul in his prime.
The Giants finished the 2019 season with just 36 sacks (22nd in the NFL), nine forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. They need a disruptor on defense--someone who can get in the quarterback’s face and create turnovers. Judging by how he played at Iowa, Epenesa could definitely be that guy.
Drafting an edge rusher in the first round would make even more sense for the Giants if Leonard Williams decides to sign elsewhere in free agency.
Gettleman sent two future draft picks to the New York Jets last year to acquire Williams, who had 26 total tackles, 0.5 sacks and a forced fumble in eight games played for the Giants.
Even if Gettleman does end re-signing him, he should still strongly consider drafting Epenesa. Williams has never been able to live up to his potential during his five years in the NFL. He is not going to be guaranteed a starting spot on Joe Judge’s team.
Improving their pass rush is just one of the steps that the Giants need to take this offseason in order to rebuild their defense. There are definitely other areas of this unit that must be addressed, but adding at least one edge rusher should be a top priority.
Epenesa would provide the Giants with an NFL-ready defensive end who has the size and skill to be a menace to NFC East quarterbacks for the next decade. If the Giants do end up selecting Epenesa, he and Dexter Lawrence would be lining up as the team’s starting defensive ends next season.
This possibility might be enough of an incentive for Gettleman to draft this talented edge rusher out of Iowa.
