2022 Top 25 Buffalo Bills 25 and Under: No. 14 A.J. Epenesa
The next player in the Buffalo Bills Top 25 players who are 25 or under is A.J. Epenesa who is one spot ahead of Zack Moss, who was drafted one round later in the 2020 NFL Draft. That year, the Buffalo Bills didn’t have their first round pick so Epenesa was the first player they drafted that year.
Epenesa was viewed as one of the top steals that year but hasn’t been able to live up to expectations through his first two years in the league.
He has appeared in 28 games the past two seasons but has only one start during that stretch. Epenesa has played 621 defensive snaps but has only 2.5 career sacks and 13 QB hits.
What will A.J. Epenesa’s role be with the Buffalo Bills in 2022?
The Buffalo Bills made some notable moves at the position this offseason by adding former All-Pro Von Miller and brought back former first round pick Shaq Lawson. These two are joined by last year’s rookies Greg Rousseau, who started every game, and Boogie Basham.
It is likely that all five players will see significant snaps this season because of how much they rotate at the position. A.J. Epenesa certainly will have a chance to make an impact for this defense but may enter the season as the fifth on the depth chart and will need to prove he should get more snaps.
One way he can do that is by having more consistency during the season on a week-to-week basis. This was something that defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier mentioned last month about what he was hoping to see improve from all three of his young pass rushers.
A.J. Epenesa looks very different from his time in college and lost significant weight during his rookie season. It would make sense that this would help him if he was able to be quicker and faster but it really impacted the way he plays. It has taken him some time to learn new techniques, according to Jon Scott.
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If this is the year it all comes together, he certainly can be one of the top young players on this team but opportunities could also be running out for A.J. Epenesa.