2020 NFL Draft: How far does Tua Tagovailoa fall in first-round mock draft?

Chase Young gets all the attention in the Big Ten and the 2020 NFL Draft class at the defensive end position. But A.J. Epenesa has the potential to be a great edge rusher at the next level as well. Matt Patricia brought over Trey Flowers to the Lions with him, but Detroit could use another dominant force on the edge.

The Lions have a total of 24 sacks in their 12 games on the season. While that isn’t an awful number, I’m sure Patricia would love to see that number go up next year. Epenesa would undoubtedly help that cause.

Epenesa is a physical freak at 6-foot-6, 280 lbs. While a little more raw of a prospect than Young, Epenesa has come through with pretty solid production in his time at Iowa. He now has nine sacks on the season and may be able to exceed his total of 10.5 from a year ago. He fits well as a 4-3 defensive end and has prototypical size with good bend that you like to see in a rusher.

The Lions defense has struggled mightily at times this season, and with a defensive-minded head coach, I’m sure they will address that side of the ball early and often in the 2020 NFL Draft. Epenesa may be a bit of a project in terms of reaching his full potential, but I’m sure that is a challenge that Patricia would love to take on in hopes of him developing into one of the best defensive ends in the league.