Hapless Bills Fan Posted April 26, 2020 Posted April 26, 2020 2 hours ago, Mountain Man said: There is at least 1 NFL running back who won't be pleased to see AJ. Oh, man! Have a heart, AJ, the boy's gotta eat!
Dkollidas Posted April 26, 2020 Posted April 26, 2020 3 hours ago, Motor26 said: They could have gone Dobbins and Joe Greenard in the 3rd. All water under the bridge, though, because they picked who they did. Could have, but Greenard doesn’t really play the same position in our defense. I believe Hughes and Addison will rotate as the RDE, with Addison going to the left end on passing downs. So those spots are already filled IMO. Epenesa can rotate as the LDE on 1st/2nd down with Murphy/D. Johnson and even Q. Jefferson, and then move inside on passing downs. I understand the sentiment. I also don’t believe the difference between Moss & Dobbins is that huge. Moss slipped because of the injuries. If the Bills aren’t worried about it I’m not either. They have had a good track record in regard to player health and injuries.
Augie Posted April 26, 2020 Posted April 26, 2020 2 hours ago, Mountain Man said: There is at least 1 NFL running back who won't be pleased to see AJ. OUCH!!! I hope we don’t sign that RT! That looked like the play that bolstered the Legend Of Clowney! I know I wouldn’t want to run into Barkley's thighs, because HE would NOT have been the one who got the worst of it!
Milanos Milano Posted April 26, 2020 Posted April 26, 2020 No doubt Epenesa is a Bull! I just hope he learns a few moves. Every year I miss watching a crazy spin move off the edge. Bruce absolutely spoiled my standards for DEs.
MrEpsYtown Posted April 26, 2020 Posted April 26, 2020 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Augie said: OUCH!!! I hope we don’t sign that RT! That looked like the play that bolstered the Legend Of Clowney! I know I wouldn’t want to run into Barkley's thighs, because HE would NOT have been the one who got the worst of it! Nah, Epenesa was the read there, some people call it power read or inverted veer. He was supposed to be unblocked but the qb should have pulled it way earlier. Its on the QB and the coaches for calling that. Edited April 26, 2020 by MrEpsYtown
mjt328 Posted April 26, 2020 Posted April 26, 2020 Wow. I haven't been on the message boards much this weekend, and was absolutely shocked that some Bills fans are upset with this pick. Defensive End was among our Top 2-3 biggest areas for improvement (I wouldn't really say we had huge needs anywhere). And based on the rankings by most experts, this was a massive steal. For some perspective, here are where some of the main sports sites ranked AJ Epenesa before the draft: NFL.Com: #45th Overall ESPN: #23rd Overall Fox Sports: #31st Overall CBS Sports: #34th Overall NBC Sports: #28th Overall Pro Football Focus: #20th Overall The Draft Network: #27th Overall Sports Illustrated: #24th Overall Sporting News: #20th Overall Draftek: #23rd Overall Averaging these 10 sites, Epenesa was around the 27th-28th ranked prospect in the entire draft. We got him at #54. 1 1
Marvlevydraftdaygenius Posted April 26, 2020 Posted April 26, 2020 One thing with AJ, the Management went into this offseason with the plan to beef up there Defensive Line.
TheyCallMeAndy Posted April 26, 2020 Posted April 26, 2020 1 hour ago, mjt328 said: Wow. I haven't been on the message boards much this weekend, and was absolutely shocked that some Bills fans are upset with this pick. Defensive End was among our Top 2-3 biggest areas for improvement (I wouldn't really say we had huge needs anywhere). And based on the rankings by most experts, this was a massive steal. For some perspective, here are where some of the main sports sites ranked AJ Epenesa before the draft: NFL.Com: #45th Overall ESPN: #23rd Overall Fox Sports: #31st Overall CBS Sports: #34th Overall NBC Sports: #28th Overall Pro Football Focus: #20th Overall The Draft Network: #27th Overall Sports Illustrated: #24th Overall Sporting News: #20th Overall Draftek: #23rd Overall Averaging these 10 sites, Epenesa was around the 27th-28th ranked prospect in the entire draft. We got him at #54. I think the displeasure/concern is he isn't super althetic and timed pretty poorly across the board.
billsbackto81 Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 7 hours ago, Chuck Schick said: Good point about the tackling... from highlights he does have a good habit of swallowing up the ball carrier. It seems guys like Hughes and Edmunds have a tendency to reach at the guy, with less impact. I've watched a lot of his highlights also. Old school power is the right term. I really hope he doesn't draw a lot of flags. This guy just engulfs QBs and a lot of times lands on them full body weight. He also tends to grab players and spin throw them HARD to the turf. Strong dude for sure.
njbuff Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 8 hours ago, Ralonzo said: Epenesa is completely the opposite of Schobel except for motor. Scholbel was quick and light in the ass. Epenesa is big, thick and stronk like bull. Reminds me personally more of Ben Williams who did have a 10 sack campaign just after the league started counting such things. I saw Epenesa being compared to Schobel and I died laughing. He is NOTHING Schobel. The best comparison you can come up with is Clyde Simmons. Simmons was a power player and was a little bigger than Epenesa is now, but their playing styles are very similar if you watch the tape. 1 2
Bob in STL Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 54 minutes ago, njbuff said: I saw Epenesa being compared to Schobel and I died laughing. He is NOTHING Schobel. The best comparison you can come up with is Clyde Simmons. Simmons was a power player and was a little bigger than Epenesa is now, but their playing styles are very similar if you watch the tape. If he plays as good as Simmons did then we made an excellent pick. I like this kid. I would love to see him have a long and rewarding career here. 2
Motor26 Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 2 hours ago, TheyCallMeAndy said: I think the displeasure/concern is he isn't super althetic and timed pretty poorly across the board. This. They still don’t have much speed off the edge.
Just Joshin' Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 2 hours ago, TheyCallMeAndy said: I think the displeasure/concern is he isn't super althetic and timed pretty poorly across the board. So would that not be reflected in the rankings?
TheyCallMeAndy Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 7 minutes ago, Just Joshin' said: So would that not be reflected in the rankings? That was, if this kid runs a 4.75 or even 4.85, he's round 1. What interesting is he plays next to the fast and quick Ed Oliver, he may help Ed feast. 2
billsfan89 Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 On 4/25/2020 at 11:23 AM, Don Otreply said: Strict BPA is indeed nonsense, draft selections are made to fit scheme need, it is the reality of how selections are made. Believe it or not, Beane just yesterday stated that he drafted Edge and RB and traded our first for a WR because they were needs, so we who know how it is actually done have some confirmation that GMs draft for need all the time. Go Bills!!! Strict BPA is also stupid and no one would do it. Would you draft 5 RB's if they all happened to be the best player on the board? 1
Don Otreply Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 12 minutes ago, billsfan89 said: Strict BPA is also stupid and no one would do it. Would you draft 5 RB's if they all happened to be the best player on the board? Some posters here swear by strict BPA, even though it never actually happens. I’ve said it repeatedly, all player acquisitions are need driven, more specifically, scheme need driven, but fan opinions are like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you’re gonna get. Go Bills!!!
billsfan89 Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 2 minutes ago, Don Otreply said: Some posters here swear by strict BPA, even though it never actually happens. I’ve said it repeatedly, all player acquisitions are need driven, more specifically, scheme need driven, but fan opinions are like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you’re gonna get. Go Bills!!! Need is always a factor in picks. Anyone who thinks otherwise is sticking to some fantasy. 2
mjt328 Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 12 hours ago, TheyCallMeAndy said: I think the displeasure/concern is he isn't super althetic and timed pretty poorly across the board. Which is obviously the only reason he slipped into the 2nd Round. Before the Combine, most places had him ranked as the #2 defensive end behind Chase Young. In January/early February, it was rare to find a mock with him lasting past the Top 15. His supposed lack of speed/athleticism was accounted for in the latest rankings. He was still a Top 30 player and late first-rounder on most of the sites that I saw. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how good he turns out. We won't know that for 2-4 years. To grade a draft today, we can only look at: a) The projections being done by so-called experts b) Whether a GM was able to get maximum value out of that pick, rather than reach early for a player c) How well the team addressed roster needs Based on these three standards, Brandon Beane was able to get a 1st Round prospect about 25-30 spots later than he was expected to go. It also addressed one of the team's biggest future question-marks, since both current starters are over 30 years old.
mjt328 Posted April 27, 2020 Posted April 27, 2020 9 hours ago, billsfan89 said: Strict BPA is also stupid and no one would do it. Would you draft 5 RB's if they all happened to be the best player on the board? Pretty much every NFL team puts draft prospects into tiers. Not a strict ranking of #1-300. The idea of BPA is that you never drop-down a tier, JUST so you can address a need. It's NOT that you always take your 105th ranked player over your 106th ranked player. Early in the draft, most GMs are going to have very strict separations in those tiers. For instance, Chase Young may be in a tier all of his own. A team going BPA would say, "Edge Rusher isn't my biggest need, but I'm drafting Young anyway because he's clearly the best player available." A team that doesn't go BPA may decide to take Jeff Okudah instead, because he really needs a cornerback. Or one of the top O-Line prospects, because the team struggled with blocking last year. Obviously as the draft goes on, teams won't have prospects ranked so strictly. By the 5th-6th-7th Round, you aren't talking about generational talents. You are talking about special teams players, practice squad developmental guys, and roster long-shots. Instead of 2-3 guys in a tier, a GM may have 10-20 guys ranked similarly. Which allows for more flexibility in filling specific roster spots. Beane is usually a BPA guy. But this weekend, he admitted that by the end of Day 3, he wasn't taking guys at the top of his board. He was taking positions that actually had a chance to make our roster. 1
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