The Buffalo Bills landed AJ Epenesa at pick No. 54 in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. At one point, he was a popular player mocked to the Bills in the pre-draft process.
However, that was once upon a time when Buffalo still had a first-round pick. As the story went, the Bills, who traded the first rounder, still landed Epenesa in Round 2.
Circumstances changed during the pre-draft process for Epenesa. Some below average workouts, including a 5.04 40-yard dash time at the combine didn’t do him many favors.
But the Bills now hope that will do them some favors.
Epenesa fell in the draft and the Bills were eager to take him… and just as eager to remind him of his drop.
The Bills released via social media the exact phone call that genreal manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott sent to Epenesa to inform him he’d become a Bill. Their message was simple: Welcome to Buffalo, and remember what happened.
“Sean, I told him I don’t know why he dropped, but we expect him to come in with a big chip on his shoulder,” Beane said while on the phone with both parties.
McDermott chimed in.
“That’s right. A lot of people passed on you. Remember that for the rest of your career,” McDermott said.
Epenesa: “I’ll never forget it.”
The now rookie expanded on his thoughts during his post-draft interview. He’s ready and motivated.
“I mean, obviously, I was looking forward to possibly being a first-round draft pick, but I just needed one team to give me an opportunity and that’s what the Bills have done,” Epenesa said.
“I feel like I always try to play with a chip on my shoulder,” he added. “But especially now, I was No. 54. There’s 53 other people that were picked in front of me.
“It gets me fired up. I want to be able to go out there and prove to people that they shouldn’t have doubted me.”
Beane himself said he believed Epenesa’s 40 time is the reason why he slipped. While pass rusher is motivated, Beane frankly didn’t care about those couple of seconds running down a football field Indianapolis.
“I don’t know exactly why he fell. I assume his 40 time. Some people knocked him on that. You know how I care about that stuff. I’m looking for football players. He’s a damn good football player,” Beane said.
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