2020 NFL Draft: AJ Epenesa putting it all on display vs. Rutgers
The Iowa Hawkeyes may have two legit top 10 2020 NFL Draft prospects right now and AJ Epenesa put his big stuff on display vs. Rutgers.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have some really fun 2020 NFL Draft prospects, including two guys who could very well end up being top 10 selections overall.
As a side note, before we get into AJ Epenesa, how crazy would that be for the Hawkeyes to be the first school ever to put two tight ends in the first round of the same draft (TJ Hockenson, Noah Fant — 2019) one year and the very next year have two top 10 selections?
It would certainly make for a great recruiting piece for Kirk Ferentz.
One of the best defensive players in all of college football is AJ Epenesa, and if you’re not yet acquainted with Epenesa, he’s a former five-star prospect from the state of Illinois who checks in at 6-foot-6, 280 pounds.
In his first two seasons at Iowa — as a part time player, if you can believe it — Epenesa racked up 52 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 15 sacks along with five forced fumbles and four batted passes.
The guy just makes plays all over the field and even when he’s not notching sacks or TFLs on the stat sheet, Epenesa is generating pressure and causing problems for opposing teams.
Now as a full-time player for the Hawkeyes, we’re getting to see the kind of impact he’s capable of making on all three downs over the course of an entire game, and the results have been outstanding.
Iowa DE @AJEpenesa24 was a PROBLEM for the Scarlet Knights, racking up four QB hurries, a sack and three tackles for @HawkeyeFootball in their shutout win.#CharacterCounts
— Lott IMPACT Trophy (@TheLottTrophy) September 8, 2019
Vote for Epenesa: https://t.co/UX47fwSHIo pic.twitter.com/CDWuu4ujfk
Watching Epenesa versus Rutgers this past weekend, you can see why he’s considered a top 10 prospect for next year’s draft and why some even consider him the best defender in the entire class.
Ways Epenesa can win
- Bull rush
- Speed to power
- Excellent edge bend
- Length
- Strong punch
- Leverage
There’s really no one area where Epenesa can’t beat you, although at his size, he’s obviously not a traditional edge bender.
His sack in this game against Rutgers where he comes literally flying at the quarterback had to have been terrifying for the guy holding the football.
When Epenesa comes on a stunt and delayed rush later, he shows what kind of impact his length and just general effort make on a snap-by-snap basis by forcing a bad throw resulting in an interception.
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This guy is the real deal and we will continually see him improve over the course of this season for the Hawkeyes.