ngbills Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 It is going to be a while before we see the new players hit the field. My biggest concern with AJ is his quickness and athleticism. Given that I would not be surprised to see him bumped inside more often than on the edge. End of the day it is about what he does on the field but for comparison purposes his times fit the DT mold more than DE. 40 time Epenesa: 5.04 Oliver: 4.73 Star: 5.41 H Phillips: 5.21 Taylor: 5.07 Murphy: 4.86 Addison: 4.70 Hughes: 4.65 Jefferson: 4.95 3 Cone Epenesa: 7.34 Oliver: 7.15 Star: 7.66 H Phillips: 7.28 Taylor: 7.58 Murphy: 6.78 Addison: 6.96 Hughes: 6.99 Jefferson: 7.95 (must have slipped) 20 yd shuttle Epenesa: 4.46 Oliver: 4.22 Star: 4.65 H Phillips: 4.50 Taylor: 4.59 Murphy: 4.20 Addison: 4.28 Jefferson: 4.95 Hughes: 4.15 Jefferson: 4.37
hondo in seattle Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 Interesting work. Probably should be in the Epenesa thread. 1
Don Otreply Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 It has been said that most thought his pro day would produce faster times, but was cancelled due to C-19, that and the game day tape is more indicative of performance than the combine, so, I’m going with DE/Edge, with additional use inside relevant to the opponent and down. Go Bills!!!
TigerJ Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 I think Epenesa and Jefferson will spend more of their time on the left side of the line and inside second. Addison will rotate in mostly for Hughes. Murphy may be lucky to hold on to a job, or he may get traded. Epenesa's game is not about speed and bend. Rather it is about leverage, power and balance. I suspect in the pros, he won't be any more than a single digit sack guy, but if he's good versus the run, that may be enough. 2
mjt328 Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 I would suggest watching the Cover 1 film session on him. Pass rushing isn't just about speed. Edge rushers can also win with leverage, great hand usage, and recognition. And while AJ Epenesa isn't the fastest athlete, he is absolutely exceptional with everything else. Based on tape alone, most had Epenesa slated as a Top 15 draft pick. If he had killed the Combine drills, he would have almost certainly jumped into the Top 10. Despite him not posting great numbers, most still saw him as a 1st Round prospect. We got a steal and he should still outperform most of the other guys picked last weekend. 2 1
DFT Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 I remember the same thing happening to Calais Campbell... AJ will be fine. 1
freddyjj Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 He is a LDE on base D, Early downs and will play the strong side. His job will be to hold the edge vs the run. Shaq showed he could do it, Murphy...not so much. On obvious passing downs McD and Frasier can now build a pass rush with Addison and Hughes outside and any combination of Jefferson/Epenesa and Oliver inside. Alot like the Giants DLine in 2007.
MJS Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 Instead of listening to the media and looking up combine numbers, go watch him play. He's a dang good pass rusher. Hest also good against the run. He has excellent technique and strategy as a pass rusher. He uses his hands perhaps better than any prospect I have seen before. He has excellent power and is quick off the line. 1
WhoTom Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 1 hour ago, nucci said: DL I don't know, man - we really need a punter. 1
Call_Of_Ktulu Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 17 minutes ago, MJS said: Instead of listening to the media and looking up combine numbers, go watch him play. He's a dang good pass rusher. Hest also good against the run. He has excellent technique and strategy as a pass rusher. He uses his hands perhaps better than any prospect I have seen before. He has excellent power and is quick off the line. I wouldn’t say he is quick off the line but he is very calculating and has no wasted movement. I would rate his athletic ability for a DE as slightly above average and at DT good. One of the quickest players off the snap was Meatball and Epenesa will have to put some serious work in to get to that level.
JoPoy88 Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 From what I’ve read about him what he lacks in pure quickness is offset by his strength, arm length, and technique. He can get the job done in his own way. Personally, I could give a flip how he does it, and 40 times for defensive ends mean nothing to me as far as predicting how they’ll perform in their jobs. 2
MJS Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 23 minutes ago, Call_Of_Ktulu said: I wouldn’t say he is quick off the line but he is very calculating and has no wasted movement. I would rate his athletic ability for a DE as slightly above average and at DT good. One of the quickest players off the snap was Meatball and Epenesa will have to put some serious work in to get to that level. Well yeah, he's a rookie and has only had like 13 starts in college, so there's areas to his game that he needs to improve. Jumping the snap is something that comes with experience and film study. I just disagree with everyone saying he isn't fast or athletic. If your defensive end is running for 40 yards in a straight line, that means you just gave up a TD. I don't put stock in combine numbers except for certain skill positions, and even then you have to primarily judge them by what they put on tape. 1
JaCrispy Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 #57 is my new favorite player...it’s gonna be so refreshing to watch a “throwback”, like him, play...? 1
Paup 1995MVP Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 Is Star really THAT slow? Good god. That is awful. Was he walking?
ngbills Posted May 1, 2020 Author Posted May 1, 2020 1 hour ago, DFT said: I remember the same thing happening to Calais Campbell... AJ will be fine. I was going to say in my OP that maybe he can be a Calais Campbell type. Wanted to include other names so was looking for other edge/DE guys with slow times and did not find too many... 56 minutes ago, MJS said: Instead of listening to the media and looking up combine numbers, go watch him play. He's a dang good pass rusher. Hest also good against the run. He has excellent technique and strategy as a pass rusher. He uses his hands perhaps better than any prospect I have seen before. He has excellent power and is quick off the line. Not that simple. Lots of guys with good tape dont have the speed or other qualities to excel in the NFL game. 1
msw2112 Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, DFT said: I remember the same thing happening to Calais Campbell... AJ will be fine. I think that Terrell Suggs also fell in the draft due to his more limited athleticism. Some guys don't test well but are just great football players. Let's hope AJ is one of those guys. Other guys are great athletes and/or put up great combine numbers, but are not necessarily great football players. Bills FB Jamie Mueller from the Super Bowl teams was one of those guys. Mueller was a decent football player and a good guy to have on the roster, but he was not a standout on the field, despite stellar combine numbers. His career stat are in the graphic below. (My apologies - I can't figure out how to make the image larger, but if you click on it, it expands.) Edited May 1, 2020 by msw2112 2
ngbills Posted May 1, 2020 Author Posted May 1, 2020 2 minutes ago, msw2112 said: I think that Terrell Suggs also fell in the draft due to his more limited athleticism. Some guys don't test well but are just great football players. Let's hope AJ is one of those guys. Other guys are great athletes and/or put up great combine numbers, but are not necessarily great football players. Bills FB Jamie Mueller from the Super Bowl teams was one of those guys. Mueller was a decent football player and a good guy to have on the roster, but he was not a standout on the field, despite stellar combine numbers. Suggs ran a 4.8 - that is not bad. But for a top 5 pick on a edge guy you want a 4.6-4.7.
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted May 1, 2020 Posted May 1, 2020 I just saw a McDermott interview and he said can play out side and inside. 1
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