NFL Draft 2020: Best pick made by each AFC East team
Pinpointing the best pick made by each AFC East team in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The AFC East is likely to look a lot different for the next few years. The New England Patriots have absolutely dominated this division for a long time, taking home the division crown for the last 11 years and 16 of the last 17 seasons. However, with Tom Brady moving on this offseason, that streak could quickly be coming to an end.
The Buffalo Bills are the favorites to unseat the Patriots in the near future but do not sleep on either the Miami Dolphins or New York Jets. Both the Dolphins and Jets had impressive showings in the 2020 NFL Draft and have exciting young quarterbacks to build around. Make no mistake about, there is a lot of talent in this division.
In this post, we are going to specifically focus on the 2020 NFL Draft for the teams in the AFC East. All four of these teams were able to find some exciting talent in the draft and are in a good position to get on track quickly. Without further ado, here are the best picks made by each team in the AFC East.
Buffalo Bills: A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa
Round 2, 54th Overall
The Buffalo Bills have put together an impressive group of talent on both sides of the ball and appear ready to take the step into becoming legitimate contenders in the AFC. They traded their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to bring in wide receiver Stefon Diggs but were still able to find impact talent in this draft class.
I did like the additions of Zack Moss, Gabriel Davis and Isaiah Hodgins, but their first selection, defensive end A.J. Epenesa in the second round, stood out as their best 2020 NFL Draft selection.
Related Story. Buffalo Bills 2020 Draft Grades. light
Epenesa dropped down the draft board because of poor athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he is a productive player who fits their defense and tough-minded demeanor extremely well. Epenesa is extremely powerful at the point of attack and sets the edge extremely well. He wins with great length and powerful hands and is particularly impressive as a run defender.
Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott has had a lot of success with power-based edge defenders in the past. Epenesa’s lack of explosive athleticism is worrisome, but he landed in a perfect situation in Buffalo. He has a chance to make an immediate impact as an early-down edge defender and has some nice upside if the Bills kick him inside as an interior pass rusher on obvious passing downs.