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RD 2, Pick 54: DE AJ Epenesa, University of Iowa


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1 minute ago, MAJBobby said:

 

 

Yes he's a great character guy.  He was a 3 sport athlete in H.S. (football, discus and shot, basketball).  Great kid from a great family.  Hard worker, grounded, soft spoken.  I saw him win the 2016 Illinois discus state championship.  He threw 205 feet, still a state record.  Definitely a process guy in the Beane/McD mold.

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Seems like a solid pick. Admittedly, didn't watch him last season. We'll get to see him develop and I really like his size. 

 

22. A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa

At this time last year, many projected Epenesa as a top-10 pick. A middling final year at Iowa has dinged his stock as teams wonder if he’s a good enough athlete to stay on the outside in the NFL. His best fit might be in the description above. It would take advantage of his 6’5, 275-pound frame and make him an asset on third downs from the inside. The only better fit might be on a team that runs a lot of three-man fronts with Epenesa bulking up a little. Smaller Calais Campbell is a pretty good way of describing him.

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Just now, Warren Zevon said:

 

Why can't a dude who had double digit sacks 3 years in a row and dominated top tackles develop into a great NFL pass rusher?

 You need speed at this level. The guy just doesn't have that. He's gonna be a good solid DE but I'm sorry I'm just underwhelmed. I think there could have been some players that would have added more impact this year that's all.

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4 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

So it's a status quo D pick

He was the best player available.  Edge rusher is a premium position.  There would have been no issue drafting him at 22.  Getting a guy who can f the play up is a hole on the team.  He could be Cam Jordan or Micheal Bennet.  Its a steal at 54.  Dobbins? Mimms?  They can get a guy in rd 3 not to far off from either.  Cant say that at De.

Edited by Mat68
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1 minute ago, BeastMaster said:

This guy may not be a sack master, but he will disrupt and put pressure on the QB while doing a good job against the run.

 

Hard to hate on the pick

 

He'll be better at pressuring the QB than defending the run

 

IMO

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Just now, Buffalo Timmy said:

No one we drafted there starts next year without injuries- he will start in two years and be a 3 down end by year three. He is a good pick at that point and will get on the field this year.


Lol We are in win now mode right now 

 

I guarantee you Dobbins would have been a FAR more productive player these next 2 years than Epenesa 

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Just now, Green Lightning said:

 You need speed at this level. The guy just doesn't have that. He's gonna be a good solid DE but I'm sorry I'm just underwhelmed. I think there could have been some players that would have added more impact this year that's all.

You tell me the next time this guy has to run 40 yards to get to a quarterback and Ill tell you he sucks.  Otherwise you tell me how fast he is in a 6 foot dash and how many sacks he already has.

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Just now, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

They need to score points.  His 3 draft before this one have proven this.  Even Beane figured this out at some point

 

 

Yes but our expertise isn't exactly on the same level when it comes to drafting and developing offensive players. That's why we've tried to sign or trade for known commodities. We used our first on Diggs. That's a pretty big investment. 

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2 minutes ago, Green Lightning said:

 You need speed at this level. The guy just doesn't have that. He's gonna be a good solid DE but I'm sorry I'm just underwhelmed. I think there could have been some players that would have added more impact this year that's all.

 

He's fast enough -  watch the tape

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3 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Many would argue Dobbins was.... and he’s an offensive playmaker for a team void of them.

I think plenty of people had Dobbins ahead of AJ. I just think we could have gotten a great playmaker on offense. Dobbins and Akers were scooped up immediately after we passed on them.

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Just now, Penfield45 said:


Lol We are in win now mode right now 

 

I guarantee you Dobbins would have been a FAR more productive player these next 2 years than Epenesa 

We are hopefully in win for 20 years mode- but I expect you are fully correct about Dobbins and if you are wrong it mean AJ is better than we thought.

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1 minute ago, thenorthremembers said:

You tell me the next time this guy has to run 40 yards to get to a quarterback and Ill tell you he sucks.  Otherwise you tell me how fast he is in a 6 foot dash and how many sacks he already has.

 Find me one draft preview that says that this guy is going to be a good speed rusher or sack artist and it'll be the 1st . Hes gonna be a good solid DE but he is not an exciting edge rusher.

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Just now, VW82 said:

 

Yes but our expertise isn't exactly on the same level when it comes to drafting and developing offensive players. That's why we've tried to sign or trade for known commodities. We used our first on Diggs. That's a pretty big investment. 

 

Yes, Diggs, good get.  Need a RB who the coaching staff feels can carry a load.  Dobbins would been a scoring impact.  That's what they need.  Holding teams to under 17 doesn't work

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Just now, ScottLaw said:

It’s very frustrating.

 

The priority is always defense over offense.

They took Diggs in the first you lunatic.

Just now, Mr. WEO said:

 

Yes, Diggs, good get.  Need a RB who the coaching staff feels can carry a load.  Dobbins would been a scoring impact.  That's what they need.  Holding teams to under 17 doesn't work

Wrong again.

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Coming into last season Epenesa was thought to be a top 10 pick. Poor combine hurt his stock. Don’t think he is ever going to be an elite player but  is solid. He is not going to play here at 275-280 which probably hurt him with his speed/explosiveness. 

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1 minute ago, Penfield45 said:

I can already see the panic settling in when we get a few injuries on offense and Allen is throwing to backyard football practice squad players

We have Diggs, Brown & Beasley.  That's easily a top 5 unit in the league.

 

Most teams don't have 4's and 5's who can easily step into the 1 spot. 

 

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7 minutes ago, McBean said:

I don’t want to go through thread as it may have been discussed, but has anybody else noticed the Bills war room is the only they haven’t shown?

 

Such BS. 


Didn’t help that Philly took Hurts the pick before.  TV was going to blab about him endlessly no matter when he was picked.

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Just now, Success said:

We have Diggs, Brown & Beasley.  That's easily a top 5 unit in the league.

 

Most teams don't have 4's and 5's who can easily step into the 1 spot. 

 

Penfield forgets its a 52 man roster with a salary cap.

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