With still two months to go until the 2020 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts have plenty of resources to make some waves. How they will go about their first-round pick is still a mystery.
There are a few options that will likely be on the board when the Colts are on the clock in April. Among them is defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who has been a popular choice in mock drafts for Indy.
Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire conducted a mock draft and had the Colts taking the Iowa edge rusher at No. 13 overall.
The Colts come into the 2020 offseason with $86,162,964 in cap space, so their ability to be big players in free agency with all that cash makes their draft strategy highly interesting. What we do know is that outside of Justin Houston, who put up 11 sacks and 60 total pressures for Indy last season, there aren’t a lot of true pressure artists on the roster. Linebacker Darius Leonard finished second with five sacks, but he’s just as valuable in coverage and stopping the run. Epenesa would bring a lot to coordinator Matt Eberflus’ defense, because at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, he can add pressure around the edge and by using inside moves. He’d be a great fit with one of the more highly regarded defensive staffs in the league.
Epenesa is one of the top edge rushers in the draft. There’s a chance he fills in immediately into a starting role on the defensive line. His size would allow him to work both at the edge and on the interior.
Over the last two seasons at Iowa, Epenesa has recorded 30.5 tackles for loss and 22.0 sacks.
The Colts have several options at No. 13 in the draft, and Epenesa should be among them.