AJ Epenesa

[danlhart87 2,341]

Do any of y'all like idea of getting him at 13?

[Thunderbolt 295]

No, we need a QB at 13.

[danlhart87 2,341]

That depends on who is available. If Love is there then sure but Eason or Fromm no thanks.

[Stephen 2,297]

8 minutes ago, danlhart87 said:

That depends on who is available. If Love is there then sure but Eason or Fromm no thanks.

I love eason, but not at 13. His arm strength  is ridiculous.  Teams couldn't  stack the box with him slinging  it.

[Freenyfan102 258]

Love is a crappy QB he gets sucked into his first option and blows it. he 20 td to 17 int heck in his big game throws a pick six. If his first option is either open or not he is going to throw to him. He is a one read QB.

[danlhart87 2,341]

3 minutes ago, Stephen said:

I love eason, but not at 13. His arm strength  is ridiculous.  Teams couldn't  stack the box with him slinging  it.

I could live with Eason at 34

[Stephen 2,297]

5 minutes ago, danlhart87 said:

I could live with Eason at 34

Then draft a speed demon wr at 44

[coltsfanmurf 41]

5 hours ago, Freenyfan102 said:

Love is a crappy QB he gets sucked into his first option and blows it. he 20 td to 17 int heck in his big game throws a pick six. If his first option is either open or not he is going to throw to him. He is a one read QB.

 

And we already have one of those.

[BleedBlue4Shoe86 583]

Hey guys. We have turned this forum into one that only discusses Jordon Love and Jacoby Brissett. Can we not stick to the topics. 
 

I would definitely take him. Don’t care who is in the board. He is one of the best pass rushers in this draft and we need pass rush. 

[ztboiler 1,511]

I question the fit for our scheme and not whether he is worth a premium pick but whether he is worth a premium pick to us.  As a 4-3 DE he could play either side, but he's more of a power rusher with good hands.  He'd be a bigger, less explosive version of Justin Houston from a rush style perspective.  He's probably a very dynamic interior rusher if he wants to make the conversion, but has never been played in that role.  As is, his natural fit is as an every down strong side DE, and the premium spots in our scheme are at 3T and weakside DE.

[stitches 8,932]

Haven't watched him, so I can't give an informed opinion, but the various podcasts I listen to have him anywhere ranging from around top 5 to top 20... When I watch some of him I might write what I think. It seems like he could be in our range. 

[BleedBlu8792 1,591]

29 minutes ago, ztboiler said:

I question the fit for our scheme and not whether he is worth a premium pick but whether he is worth a premium pick to us.  As a 4-3 DE he could play either side, but he's more of a power rusher with good hands.  He'd be a bigger, less explosive version of Justin Houston from a rush style perspective.  He's probably a very dynamic interior rusher if he wants to make the conversion, but has never been played in that role.  As is, his natural fit is as an every down strong side DE, and the premium spots in our scheme are at 3T and weakside DE.

 

Yea I think he'd fit better as a 5T/DE in a 3 man front. 

[FalseStart 405]

Absolutely... 
 

Espensa, Wirfs, Brown, Jeudy... Delpit, Gross-Matos, Kinlaw would be on my short list. 

[WarGhost21 1,455]

He’d be fine, but I’d be much happier with CeeDee Lamb it Jerry Jeudy and then grabbing Eason at the top of the 2nd frame. However, I wouldn’t be upset with Epenesa, as I would if it had been Love instead

[Valpo2004 3,915]

2 hours ago, stitches said:

Haven't watched him, so I can't give an informed opinion, but the various podcasts I listen to have him anywhere ranging from around top 5 to top 20... When I watch some of him I might write what I think. It seems like he could be in our range. 

 

Iowa fan so I have watched him.  Former 5 star recruit, went to Iowa as a legacy (his dad played there). 

 

True Freshman year - 15 total tackles, 5.5 for a loss, 4.5 sacks

True Sophmore year - 37 total tackles 16.5 for a loss, 10.5 sacks

True Junior year - 49 total tackles, 14 for a loss, 11.5 sacks

 

It is important to note he got a pretty significant role as a True Frosh, Iowa doesn't play too many true freshman. 

 

From what I'm reading he collected 2.5 sacks against a OT from USC that is considered a 1st round pick. 

[Valpo2004 3,915]

http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2020AJEpenesa.php

 

Career Recap: Over the past two seasons, Epenesa has been a very good defender for the Hawkeyes. As a freshman, he flashed with 4.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for a loss, 15 tackles and one forced fumble. Epenesa showed that he was just scratching the surface, playing even better as a sophomore by recording 10.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, four passes batted, 16.5 tackles for a loss and 37 tackles.

 

2019 Season Outlook: Epenesa will see some quality Big Ten offensive lines during his junior season, but he does not have a top tackle from NFL teams' preseason watch list on his schedule.

Skill-Set Summary: It can be hard for freshman to make quick impressions in college football, and that can especially be the case at the line of scrimmage since teenagers are often not built up physically to handle larger linemen who are older and more developed. Epenesa bucked that trend, arriving at Iowa with a skill set ready for big-time college football with size, strength and quickness. He has a pro skill set, and if he continues to develop, he will have plenty of teams hoping to land him to be a centerpiece of their defensive line for many years to come.

The first thing that stands out about Epenesa is he has a strong lengthy build that lets him set a tough edge at the point of attack. Epenesa can hold his ground in run defense, maintaining his gap and rarely ever getting pushed back. He has the power and good hands to fight off blocks to get in on tackles of ball-carriers. In the ground game, Iowa generally has Epenesa holding his gap rather than trying to shoot the gap and get into the backfield, so that hurts his tackles for a loss numbers, but his solid technique leads to him entering the pros as a plus run defender.

In the pass rush, Epenesa flashes ability to get after the quarterback. He has a strong bull rush and can ride tackles straight back into the signal-caller. With his strong hands, Epenesa also is dangerous to grab a hold of the tackle and then toss them to the side to get free of his blocker. Once Epenesa gets free, he has a burst to close on the quarterback. Some of Epenesa's pass-rush opportunities were hurt by Iowa playing him in containment, but Epenesa has some rush skills and it will be interesting to see how he develops as a junior.

For the aerial-offense driven the NFL, Epenesa needs to continue to develop as a pass-rusher. He is a big lineman who has some hip stiffness. That leads to him having some issues with redirecting toward the quarterback and getting turned to the quarterback after his quickness allows him to get upfield. While he is not a slow lumbering lineman, Epenesa is not a pure speed demon off the edge, which makes him is quicker than he is fast. Epenesa is going to have to beat pro blockers mainly based off his power and physicality. Thus, it would help him to add club and rip moves. Epenesa also can stand to work on his leverage because he gets in trouble when he plays too high. Still, the junior a young player who has upside to take his game to another level in 2019.

Epenesa has some versatility for the NFL. He could fit as a base end in a 4-3, and in that scheme, he would be best as a left end taking on right tackles. In a 3-4, he could be a good fit as a five-technique.

[Defjamz26 4,750]

I need to see his combine testing to know if he can be a fit here coming off the edge. Seems a bit limited athletically so I’m not sure if he’s a guy you want trying to bend the edge against NFL caliber tackles. Power won’t win every time.