Being a rookie in the NFL would be pretty cool, but you probably shouldn’t envy them this season.
The jump from college to professional football, or any professional sport, is huge. The NFL is insisting the 2020 regular season will go on despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Because of this, rookies across the league are really up against it this year.
No minicamps, no preseason games, no “normal.”
Despite that, CBS Sports predicted six rookie players that could make an instant-impact. Among that half-dozen was Buffalo’s second-round pick, AJ Epenesa.
Here’s part of the breakdown on Epenesa:
Epenesa enters a loaded Bills defensive line group, one of the deepest in the entire league, which, right out of the gate, won’t place him in a high-pressure situation as a rookie.
But, as an individual, Epenesa has the game to immediately acclimate to the NFL. Despite not being a great athlete for the defensive end spot, the former Iowa standout is a studly athlete if he’s moved inside. Seriously, check those links for the differences on MockDraftable when I switched his position from “defensive end” to “defensive tackle.”
And at 6-5 and 275 pounds with 34 1/2-inch arms on a defense with Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison and Trent Murphy in front of him at the end spot, Epenesa is bound to see time on the interior in Buffalo as a rookie.
In Sean McDermott’s defense, a unit that had six defensive linemen who played between 40% and 65% of the snaps in 2019, expect Epenesa to stay fresh throughout each game and play efficiently from a variety of positions but particularly thrive inside.
Buffalo’s next game is slated for early September against the Jets. That’s Week 1. It’s going to count. There’s a chance, with the rotation on McDermott’s defensive line in mind, that the Bills will throw Epenesa right into the fire that game. But also, there’s a chance that they don’t. Perhaps he only plays around 20 percent of snaps.
But gradually, Epenesa is bound to get more and more looks. Especially if the Bills decide to move on from the likes of Murphy since he’s a potential cap casualty. Not mentioned in the breakdown is Quinton Jefferson. The Bills could use him on the inside and outside like Epenesa, even if Murphy sticks around. This versatility across the defensive line for the Bills has the potential to create mismatches all over the place, which could lead to successes, even for a rookie like Epenesa.
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