Buffalo Bills: Rookies making good first impression to start training camp

A.J. Epenesa

The Buffalo Bills first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft was defensive end A.J. Epenesa. He was a player that made sense when the Bills would have been on the clock in the first round. However, they traded that pick to the Vikings and surprisingly Epenesa slid to them in the second.

It remains to be seen exactly how much playing Epenesa will have as a rookie with veterans Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison and Trent Murphy ahead of him. However, the coaching staff seems determined to find a way to get him on the field.

This week, Epenesa told the media that defensive line coach Eric Washington has been moving the rookie across all the different positions from “end, to the one [technique], to the three [technique] to every position on the line you can think of.”

This was expected for Epenesa coming into his rookie season because he is big for a defensive end at 6’6″ and 280 pounds. He certainly has the frame to slide inside to defensive tackle on passing downs and provide a little extra rush from the interior.

While Epenesa may not be a starter on the depth chart, he will see a great deal of snaps as a rookie this season.