Buffalo Bills are perfect place for A.J. Epenesa to shine

A.J. Epenesa is a prospect who needed the right landing spot in the 2020 NFL Draft to succeed as a pro. The Buffalo Bills are one of those landing spots.

On Friday night, the Buffalo Bills were set to come on the clock for the first time in the 2020 NFL Draft. After trading their first-round pick for wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Bills general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott had to wait until the No. 54 pick on Day 2 to make a selection. And when they did, they nabbed Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa.

Most preseason prognostication regarding the 2020 NFL Draft had Epenesa as one of the top players in the class, a seemingly surefire first-round pick. And though his production wasn’t quite as crazy in 2019 as it was in 2018, he still had 22 sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss to make teams swoon.

But as the draft drew closer, it became clear that Epenesa was far from a can’t-miss prospect. He went to the NFL Combine and disappointed immensely. Epenesa ran the 40-yard dash in 5.04 seconds, a 7.34-second three-cone and was not explosive or strong. He’s big (6-5, 275 pounds) with long arms but the overall athleticism just isn’t there.

When it comes to players with that profile, the chance of them busting increases. For them to succeed, perhaps the most critical aspect of their professional careers is that they end up being drafted by the right team. And the Buffalo Bills are the right team for A.J. Epenesa.

Looking back that the players that McDermott has worked and succeeded with throughout his career, guys such as Mario Addison (now a Bill), you clearly see a coach who is adept at not asking players to be something they aren’t. Instead, you put the player in positions that are advantageous to them.

For Epenesa, he shouldn’t be asked to be a speed-rusher at any point. And he may not have the immediate strength to be a full-time interior player. But by moving him around in a variety of packages to put him in spots where his length can be a matchup advantage, McDermott and the Bills can make him into an asset on defense. They are a team and staff clearly willing to do so.

Make no mistake, there is not a great chance that the Buffalo Bills landed the next great NFL defensive end, no matter where Epenesa went. Having said that, for a player who needed to land in the right situation to succeed, the Iowa product ended up in a perfect one.