PFF backs him
If it wasn’t for his poor scouting combine numbers, it’s unlikely the Bills land AJ Epenesa with pick No. 54. But he made the fall and Buffalo scooped him up. So what exactly happened at his combine workout? Well the 6-foot-4, 275 pounder’s workout included a 5.04-second 40-yard dash time, which is good for a defensive tackle, not an explosive edge rusher, among some other disappointing numbers for him.
But despite that, the Bills had some fellow Bill-evers in him… the folks at Pro Football Focus. Despite his workout, the football analytics folks still graded him as their 20th best overall prospect. Here’s some of PFF’s breakdown:
He doesn’t win with athleticism, but a 5.04 40 (yard dash) is not great. The (comparison) in the draft guide was Trey Flowers. That’s who he can be in terms of versatility, the way he wins with his hands, but even Trey Flowers ran a 4.93. He is still on the threshold of worrisome athleticism, but the way he wins is not necessarily with athleticism. He wins with his strength, wins with his hands. I do think at his age, still young, the only true junior coming out, he can still develop physically, but I think he almost needs to decide hey he’s only 275 pounds right now. Either I go get bigger, 285, 290 and go kick more inside or I start to trim, try to get more cut up and actually try to win on the edges as an edge defender because right now he’s a little bit in no man’s land.