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A. J. Epenesa

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A. J. Epenesa
refer to caption
Epenesa with the Bills in 2021
No. 57 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1998-09-15) September 15, 1998 (age 26)
Oak Park, Kansas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school:Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Illinois)
College:Iowa (2017–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 2 / pick: 54
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 6, 2024
Total tackles:76
Sacks:18.5
Forced fumbles:4
Fumble recoveries:2
Pass deflections:15
Interceptions:2
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

an American professional 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.

Early life

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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 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

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Epenesa playing for Iowa in 2019

After his freshman season, Epenesa was named to the All-Freshmen Big Ten Conference 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, 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]

College statistics

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Iowa Hawkeyes
Season Tackles Sacks Fumbles
Solo Ast Total TFL Total Yards 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
Totals 61 40 101 37.0 26.5 157 9 1

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench 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 s 1.78 s 2.96 s 4.46 s 7.34 s 32.5 in
(0.83 m)		 9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		 17 reps
All values from NFL Combine[17][18]

The Buffalo Bills selected Epenesa in the second round, 54th overall, of the 2020 NFL Draft.[19] He signed a four-year, $5.877 million contract, including a $1.834 million signing bonus, with the Bills on May 7, 2020.[20]

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 during the first quarter.[21] Epenesa finished his rookie season with 1 sack and 14 tackles, playing mainly as a backup defensive end, but earned a more prominent role on the team by the end of the season and dropped 20 pounds from his college playing weight of 280 pounds.[22]

After the drafting of Gregory Rousseau in the first round of the following draft and the Bills signing All-Pro pass rusher Von Miller the 2022 offseason, Epenesa continued as a rotational piece on the Bills' defensive line the next two years. He notably had a strong performance during a 35–0 Bills win against the Miami Dolphins in week 2 of the 2021 season, recording a team-leading 8 quarterback pressures and 2 quarterback hits, including one that knocked Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa out of the game.[23][24]

Epenesa had a breakout season in 2022, recording 6.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 14 quarterback pressures, 16 total tackles, and 5 passes deflected, in addition to a fumble recovery, all career highs. In week 5 of the 2022 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Epenesa was ejected from the game with one minute left after he elbowed referee John Hussey in response to being pushed by the former during a brief ruckus between the Bills and Steelers that began when Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett shoved Bills defender Shaq Lawson for a late hit.[25] His best game of the season came against the New York Jets in week 14, in which he had a sack, five tackles, and a pass breakup on what would become New York's final offensive snap to seal a 20–12 Bills win. The Bills defensive line as a whole performed well despite a season-ending injury to Miller the previous week.[26]

In week 3 of the 2023 season against the Washington Commanders, Epenesa scored his first career defensive touchdown, intercepting Washington quarterback Sam Howell and returning the pass for a 32-yard touchdown during the Bills' 37–3 win.[27] He notably became the first alumnus of Edwardsville High School to score a touchdown in the NFL since Morris Bradshaw in 1982.[28]

On March 11, 2024, Epenesa signed a two-year contract extension with the Bills.[29]

Personal life

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Epenesa's cousin, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, is also a professional defensive end and is currently a free agent.[30] Epenesa's second cousin is Riley Patterson, a kicker for the Jacksonville Jaguars.[31] In 2024, Epensa's brother Iose, who plays football at Edwardsville High School in Illinois, is a four star 6-foot-4 and 270 pound defensive lineman recruit to the Iowa Hawkeyes football team beginning in the 2025 season.[32]

Epenesa grew up and went to high school with professional basketball player, Kate Martin.[33][34] Martin's dad, Matt Martin, was Epenesa's and New York Jets cornerback Craig James's football and track coach and Riley Patterson's football coach during their time at Edwardsville High School.[6][35][36]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL QBH Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Y/I Lng TD FF FR Yds Y/R TD
2020 BUF 14 1 14 11 3 3 4 1.0 0 1 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
2021 BUF 14 0 14 8 6 2 9 1.5 0 1 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
2022 BUF 15 2 16 13 3 7 10 6.5 0 5 0 0 — 0 0 2 1 0 0.0 0
2023 BUF 13 1 19 8 11 6 10 6.5 0 8 2 38 19.0 32 1 1 1 0 0.0 0
2024 BUF 2 2 4 2 2 0 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Career 58 6 68 43 25 18 35 15.5 0 15 2 38 19.0 32 1 3 2 0 0.0 0

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL QBH Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Y/I Lng TD FF FR Yds Y/R TD
2020 BUF 3 0 3 3 0 0 1 0.0 0 1 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
2021 BUF 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
2022 BUF 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
2023 BUF 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0.0 0 1 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Career 9 0 7 5 2 1 2 0.0 0 3 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — 0

References

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  1. ^ a b Reisener, Matt (May 29, 2019). "94 Days Until Hawkeye Football: AJ Epenesa". Black Hearts Gold Pants. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  2. ^ O'Gara, Connor (January 23, 2016). "Why Iowa? A.J. Epenesa is already a Hawkeye through and through". Saturday Tradition. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  3. ^ O'Gara, Connor (January 17, 2016). "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 (January 6, 2017). "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. ^ a b Zuniga, Jordan (November 2, 2018). "Family drives Hawkeye football's A.J. Epenesa". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  7. ^ Dienhart, Tom (November 27, 2017). "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 (November 19, 2018). "Iowa football: AJ Epenesa receives award after Illinois performance". Dear Old Gold. FanSided. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. 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 (May 30, 2019). "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. ^ "A.J. Epenesa Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  18. ^ "2020 NFL Draft Scout A.J. Epenesa College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Wojton, Nick (September 27, 2020). "WATCH: AJ Epenesa gets first sack with Bills". Bills Wire. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  22. ^ Parrino, Matt (January 1, 2021). "A.J. Epenesa has earned prominent role in unusual rookie season". Syracuse.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  23. ^ Parrino, Matt (September 19, 2021). "Bills' A.J. Epenesa has breakout game, knocks Tua Tagovailoa out of it in shutout win (8 observations)". syracuse. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  24. ^ Ruder, Miles (September 19, 2021). "NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Buffalo Bills 35, Miami Dolphins 0". PFF. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  25. ^ "Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa ejected for elbowing referee in win over Steelers". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  26. ^ "Bills pass rushers feeling confident after sack attack vs. Jets". Bills Wire. December 12, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  27. ^ "Can't-Miss Play: Pick-six TD! Epenesa turns Bills' fourth INT of Howell into score". NFL.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  28. ^ Kamp, Matt (September 24, 2023). "AJ Epenesa becomes first EHS grad to score NFL touchdown since Morris Bradshaw". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  29. ^ White, Alec (March 11, 2024). "Bills agree to terms with DE A.J. Epenesa on two-year deal". BuffaloBills.com.
  30. ^ Brugler, Dane (April 7, 2020). The Athletic's 2020 NFL Draft Guide (PDF). The Athletic. p. 129. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  31. ^ "Riley Patterson". Minnesota Vikings. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  32. ^ Tachman, Tyler (August 15, 2024). "Iowa football lands 4-star DL legacy recruit Iose Epenesa in 2025 recruiting class". hawkcentral.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  33. ^ Criddle, Dean (March 23, 2018). "Martin ends high school career with Player of the Year honor". Belleville News-Democrat.
  34. ^ Morehouse, Marc (August 20, 2018). "Iowa defensive line: A.J. Epenesa wears his heart on his shoulder". The Gazette. Epenesa is quick to point out that Kate Martin, a guard on the Iowa women's basketball team, is from Edwardsville and also grew up Hawkeye.
  35. ^ Fairburn, Matthew (April 29, 2020). "A.J. Epenesa and the 'walk-on mentality' that led him to the Bills". The Athletic. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  36. ^ Brannan, Dan (February 16, 2023). "Tigers' Football Head Coach Matt Martin Steps Down, Leaves Legacy With Vast Contributions". River Bender (RiverBender.com). River Bend, Alton, Illinois. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
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