Buffalo Bills: Possible trade-up targets in the 2020 NFL Draft

One of the biggest needs for the future of the Buffalo Bills is a solid, young edge rusher. The Bills have 31-year-old Jerry Hughes, 29-year-old Trent Murphy and brought in 32-year-old Mario Addison in free agency on the edge. General manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott should absolutely look to the 2020 NFL Draft to bring some youth and potential to that position.

One prospect that I think would be a very good fit is Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa. Epenesa is a productive player, already with solid tools as a defensive end, but has great potential and can be molded into the player the McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier want him to be down the line.

Epenesa is a big and powerful rusher (6-foot-5, 275 pounds) who is explosive enough to fly right around the edge and by the tackle or can blow the blocker up right into the backfield. He is a decent athlete who has shown flashes of good bend around the edge, but Epenesa has a long way to go as a pass rusher.

Although he is still rather raw as a prospect, Epenesa has the tools that teams look for to mold. His size, length, power and athletic potential cannot be ignored. He was very productive at Iowa despite his lack of refinement, so his ceiling is incredibly high if he can develop.

In this situation, Epenesa will have the time he needs to learn and grow as a player behind some solid defensive ends. While they aren’t necessarily elite players and don’t have a ton of potential at this point in their careers, the guys that the Bills have on the roster can get the job done, as well as show Epenesa how to become a legitimate NFL starter on the edge.