2020 NFL Draft: 6 Prospects to watch in college football Week 6
1. A.J. Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa
Come Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson and his offensive line will have one man to fear: Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa. The 6-6, 280-pound edge rusher is a terror for opposing offensive lines. Epenesa lives behind the line of scrimmage.
Last season, he finished with 10.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. Unfortunately, he hasn’t lived up to the PFF All-American hype just yet in 2019, at least statistically. The numbers, or in this case lack thereof, don’t tell the entire story, though.
While the Hawkeyes star only has one sack, he’s doing his job by beating his man and sealing the edge. Teams have opted to run plays that would keep him out of the game. Consequently, his draft stock could take hit along with his stats.
The trend NFL teams are following is a twitchy lean athletic edge rusher — Epenesa isn’t that. His skill set revolves around power and athleticism in the body of a player that can play the three-technique. Epenesa fits the mold of Cameron Jordan (Saints) and Calais Campbell (Jaguars), two players whose effectiveness is not remotely in question.
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Nevertheless, Epenesa is due for a breakout game and the Wolverines can help him achieve it. He’s a top-10 talent with tools to dominate he has a chance to show what he has in college football Week 6.