A. J. Epenesa

Andrew Jared Epenesa (born September 15, 1998) is an American football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa, and was drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

A. J. Epenesa
Epenesa with Iowa in 2019
No. 57 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1998-09-15) September 15, 1998
Oak Park, Kansas
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:280 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school:Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Illinois)
College:Iowa
NFL Draft:2020 / Round: 2 / Pick: 54
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2020
Tackles:9
Sacks:1.0
Pass deflections:1
Forced fumbles:0
Fumble recoveries:0
Player stats at NFL.com

High school career

Playing at Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Illinois, Epenesa garnered All-American honors in both football and track.[1] His father, Eppy, walked on to the Iowa football team after moving from the American Samoa, and A. J. showed leanings towards Iowa throughout the recruiting process.[2] On January 17, 2016, Epenesa committed to Iowa.[3] He became the highest-rated recruit to play for a Kirk Ferentz-led team at Iowa.[4] He also played in the Army All-American Bowl and Polynesian Bowl after his senior year.[5]

Epenesa also won Illinois state titles in discus throw his junior and senior years.[6]

College career

After his freshman season, Epenesa was named to the All-Freshmen Big Ten team.[7] Notably, his first college sack came against future Buffalo Bills teammate Josh Allen during a game against Wyoming.[8]

Epenesa did not start any games during his sophomore season, but still broke into the double digits for sacks and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown.[1] His 11 sacks on the year led the Big Ten Conference, and his four fumble recoveries tied for the conference lead.[9] He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after games against Iowa State and Illinois.[10] Epenesa was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media and second-team by the coaches.[11]

Before his junior season, Epenesa was projected as a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, with some estimations placing him as high as second.[12] Scouts touted both his strength and work ethic on the field.[13] Following a junior season with 11.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 49 tackles, Epenesa announced that he would forgo his senior year and declare for the 2020 NFL Draft.[14] After three seasons, he finished tied for 4th on Iowa's career sacks list.

Epenesa, who is of Samoan ethnicity, was named to the preseason Polynesian College Player of the Year Watch List in 2018 and 2019.[15] He was one of five finalists for the award in 2018.[16]

NCAA Collegiate Career statistics
Iowa Hawkeyes
Season Tackles Sacks Fumbles
SoloAstTotalTFLTotalYards FF FR
2017 8 7 15 5.5 4.5 24 1 0
2018 21 16 37 16.5 10.5 66 4 1
2019 32 17 49 15.0 11.5 67 4 0
NCAA Career Totals 614010137.026.5157 9 1

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand size40-yard dash20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 5 1⁄8 in
(1.96 m)		 275 lb
(125 kg)		 34 1⁄2 in
(0.88 m)		 10 1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		5.04 s4.46 s7.34 s32.5 in
(0.83 m)		9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		17 reps
All values from NFL Combine[17]

The Buffalo Bills selected Epenesa in the second round, 54th overall, of the 2020 NFL Draft.[18] He signed a four-year, $5.877 million contract, including a $1.834 million signing bonus, with the Bills on May 7, 2020.[19]

In Week 3 of the 2020 season, Epenesa recorded his first career sack in a 35–32 win over the Los Angeles Rams, tackling quarterback Jared Goff for a loss during the first quarter.[20]

Personal life

Epenesa's cousin, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, is also a professional football player.[21]

References
  1. Reisener, Matt. "94 Days Until Hawkeye Football: AJ Epenesa". Black Hearts Gold Pants. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  2. O'Gara, Connor. "Why Iowa? A.J. Epenesa is already a Hawkeye through and through". Saturday Tradition. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  3. O'Gara, Connor. "Iowa lands five-star 2017 defensive end". Saturday Tradition. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  4. Leistikow, Chad. "Leistikow: Iowa's A.J. Epenesa is ready for his year in the spotlight". Hawk Central. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  5. Feeney, Brent. "Edwardsville's A.J. Epenesa plays Saturday on NBC in Army All American Bowl all-star football game". RierBender.com. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  6. Zuniga, Jordan. "Family drives Hawkeye football's A.J. Epenesa". Daily Iowan. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  7. Dienhart, Tom. "View BTN.com's 2017 All-Freshman Football Team". Big Ten Conference. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  8. Louis-Jacques, Marcel (April 25, 2020). "A.J. Epenesa's first collegiate sack? New Bills teammate Josh Allen". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  9. "2018 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  10. Wade, Andrew. "Iowa football: AJ Epenesa receives award after Illinois performance". Dear Old Gold. FanSided. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  11. Eickholt, David. "Sophomore A.J Epenesa named first-team All-Big Ten". 247Sports.com. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  12. Eickholt, David. "Rotoworld: A.J Epenesa goes number 2 in 2020 NFL Mock Draft". 247Sports.com. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  13. Nystrom, Thor. "Thor's 2020 Mock Draft". Rotoworld. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  14. "Iowa's A.J. Epenesa says he's entering NFL draft". ESPN.com. January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  15. Scheuring, Ian (August 6, 2019). "Tagovailoa, Epenesa, Anae headline 2019 Polynesian College Player of the Year watch list". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  16. Iowa Hawkeyes bio
  17. "Andrew Epenesa Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  18. Maiorana, Sal (April 24, 2020). "NFL Draft: Buffalo Bills take Iowa edge rusher A.J. Epenesa in second round". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  19. Giacovelli, Corey (May 8, 2020). "Report: Buffalo Bills sign DE A.J. Epenesa, QB Jake Fromm, WR Gabriel Davis". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  20. Wojton, Nick (September 27, 2020). "WATCH: AJ Epenesa gets first sack with Bills". Bills Wire. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  21. Brugler, Dane (April 7, 2020). The Athletic's 2020 NFL Draft Guide (PDF). The Athletic. p. 129. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
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