A.J. Epenesa goes No. 2 overall in recent 2020 NFL mock draft

In a recent 2020 NFL mock draft, Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa surprisingly goes with the second overall pick.

Rotoworld’s Thor Nystrom released his 2020 NFL Mock Draft on Wednesday night and there was an interesting surprise at the top. It was not Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa going first overall to the Oakland Raiders. Tagovailoa is probably the current favorite to go number one next April. However, Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa going next to the Miami Dolphins will likely raise some eyebrows.

Epenesa was a five-star recruit out of high school and shows an obvious NFL pedigree on the field. He is an explosive pass rusher off of the edge, mixing power and athleticism extremely well. He also shows an impressive overall skill set as a run defender. However, Epenesa has sat behind veteran defensive linemen through his first two years. The 2019 season will be his first season as a starter.

How can a guy who still has not even started a college football game be mocked to go second overall? Well, Epenesa is a special talent.

"“Epenesa earned a 90.0+ (elite) PFF grade last year, and has collected a total of 80 pressures over two seasons in college,” Nystrom wrote. “Despite all that, get this: Epenesa has NEVER started a game in his career! Like, ever! He’s posted superior stats to Nick Bosa through two years on campus despite playing 159 fewer snaps alongside inferior talent (897 for Bosa, 738 for Epenesa).”“Epenesa is a freak athlete who bends the edge and converts speed to power at an extremely advanced level for his age. Kid is strong as an ox. But that’s not what he’s known for. What he’s known for is his dog-on-a-bone relentlessness. Ace Iowa beat writer Scott Dochterman has compared Epenesa’s no-kill-switch-pursuit style to former Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan, who famously played each down like it was his last.”"

Despite playing a more limited role, Epenesa was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and led the conference with 10.5 sacks last season. He is a dynamic athlete who understands the game well and is about to be unleashed on the rest of college football. Imagine what he can do when he gets consistent snaps on a full-time basis.

Nystrom later goes on to compare Epenesa to Houston Texans star J.J. Watt. At least in the sack department, this holds up. “Epenesa had 3.5 more sacks as a two-year part-timer than Watt did in his two years as a starter at Wisconsin,” Nystrom wrote.

It may seem odd to see Epenesa currently being pushed as such a high pick in a 2020 NFL mock draft, but honestly, I think Thor is just ahead of the curve here. He is truly a special talent who has massive upside at the next level.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are going to unleash Epenesa on the rest of the country this season and based on what we have seen thus far, the sky is the limit. If he continues to dominate as his snaps increase in 2019, Epenesa is a legitimate threat to go first overall in next year’s draft.