A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa
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Listed at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds Epenesa has an excellent combination of size, length and power. Epenesa wins with powerful and technical hand usage and is a skilled counter rusher who can convert his get off to power to bull rush offensive tackles.
Epenesa sets a good edge as a run defender but can be slow at times to disengage and make plays on the ball. He has some versatility to his game as he can kick inside and rush as the under tackle. Playing with some burst, he closes distance quickly and engulfing quarterbacks with his big and long frame.
Epenesa posted below-average testing numbers at the combine, running a 5.04 40-yard dash and running a slow time in the three cone (7.34) which matches his tape as he isn’t a athletic rusher who posses the lower-body bend to capture the edge but a guy who uses technique and power.
This past season was Epenesa first season starting and he didn’t disappoint finishing his junior year with 11.5 sacks, 49 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles.
Epenesa fits with the Cowboys as a right end that can kick inside on third downs and rush. Epenesa would also help shore up the run defense on the edges and he also can be scheme versatile as he could play end in a 3-4. This would also add to the change in philosophy with this new coaching staff adding bigger and longer down lineman that can fit a more multiple front.
There has yet to be any known connection between the two but if the Cowboys finds a trade back partner he can be in the second tier of players the Cowboys could draft.
What the experts say:
The size and production should force all evaluators to dial their focus in on what he’s best at rather than any perceived areas of concern. He has average instincts against the run and is a step slow to shed, but he’s strong at the point and he does his job. Epenesa won’t just out-run tackles to the edge, but he’s a skilled rusher whose diversity of attack, skilled hands and unique bull-rushing instincts could help him deliver his college sack production in the pros. He can play end in a 4-3 or 3-4 and could leap from good to great with additional work on technique and explosiveness.
AJ Epenesa has been a dynamic defensive playmaker across his last two seasons at Iowa, racking up 30.5 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, eight forced fumbles and seven pass deflections. His blend of length, devastating power, technique and urgency gives him a chance to do the same in the NFL. Epenesa is a tailor-made fit for the New England Patriots style of defensive linemen where length and heavy hands to control at the point of attack are required. Overall, Epenesa is an ascending prospect with exciting physical tools, production and technical refinement that project him to be an early starter in a 4-3 alignment but he has the extension skills needed for two-gaping duties as a five-technique. Epenesa has the upside to become a pillar of an outstanding front seven at the next level.