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Over the previous few weeks, I’ve been working by The Scouting Academy’s curriculum to enhance my understanding of participant analysis and movie research. My hope is that the time invested now will result in higher, extra detailed scouting stories and participant evaluation all through the 2026 season. I’m hoping it’ll make a distinction and also you’ll get pleasure from much more element in these items than earlier than!
Mockingly, the primary place group I’ve been learning is line of defense play, which made A.J. Epenesa a very enjoyable signing to judge. This was a bit of additional homework for me to do that week…
Earlier than diving into the movie, let’s check out Epenesa’s background, utilization, and manufacturing. All numbers through PFF, as at all times.
A.J. Epenesa enters his seventh NFL season after spending the primary six years of his profession with the Buffalo Payments. Initially chosen within the second spherical (54th total) of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Iowa, Epenesa has appeared in 93 regular-season video games and developed right into a beneficial rotational edge defender inside Buffalo’s line of defense rotation.
The Payments primarily deployed Epenesa as a left defensive finish. In 2025, 96% of his pass-rush snaps got here from the left facet. He aligned most continuously as a 6-technique, 7-technique, and large edge defender, working nearly completely as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive finish.
Epenesa has performed at the least 14 video games in each NFL season and has appeared in each sport over the past three years apart from one missed contest in 2025 resulting from a concussion. The one notable concern this offseason was a reported failed bodily with the Cleveland Browns. The precise motive was by no means disclosed publicly, though Epenesa handled a number of minor accidents through the 2025 season earlier than finally showing in 16 video games. It’s an apparent concern.
Epenesa possesses the scale and size to play on early downs whereas additionally providing sufficient pass-rush capability to stay on the sector in passing conditions. His sport is constructed extra round energy, effort, and hand utilization than elite athletic traits, making him a perfect complementary edge defender slightly than a major pass-rushing risk.
For the Eagles, Epenesa profiles as a rotational edge defender able to spelling the beginning defensive ends, taking part in base downs, and offering situational pass-rush snaps. His capability to align in a number of edge methods ought to make him a helpful slot in Vic Fangio’s protection.
In 2024, he recorded 22 pressures, 11 quarterback hits, and 6 sacks on 341 pass-rush snaps, producing a stress price of 6.5%. Whereas his sack complete fell to 2.5 sacks in 2025, his underlying pass-rush effectivity improved. Epenesa generated the identical 22 pressures regardless of dashing the passer 130 fewer instances, rising his stress price from 6.5% to 10.4%. His quarterback hit price additionally improved from 3.2% to 4.3% per pass-rush snap. 10.4% is an honest stress quantity for a rotational possibility. For context, Nolan Smith was at 13% and Jalyx Hunt was 10.9%.
Highly effective, technically sound move rusher
Epenesa wins much more with method and energy than athleticism. He reveals a well-developed pass-rush plan and constantly assaults offensive tackles with objective. His greatest rushes are bull rushes, the place he has the ability to break down the pocket with heavy arms and use his size to generate pressure by contact. He understands find out how to assault an offensive deal with’s outdoors shoulder and may stroll blockers again into the quarterback when he lands his arms cleanly. He’s sturdy as hell when he can lengthen his arm totally and actually get right into a tackles chest.
He doesn’t have a bag of strikes as a result of he can’t threaten the surface constantly, which limits you as a move rusher (with out the power to win outdoors, it’s tougher to counter with spin strikes, and so forth.) however he does have some methods, such because the Stutter Bull, that he can use as a change-up. As he likes to assault inside, the little faux on his third step is completely timed to attempt to get the OT to point out his arms, permitting Epenesa to get underneath him and push him aggressively again to the quarterback. In case you are an influence rusher who wins inside, utilizing that to disguise the usual bull rush is a intelligent change up.
Moreover, he rushes with good pass-rush integrity. This isn’t a celebrity move rusher chasing sacks and getting caught up within the area. Even when he doesn’t win, he could make a play on the quarterback by stopping him from escaping the pocket, permitting others to wash up. That is the advantage of an influence rusher over a velocity rusher.
Maybe essentially the most spectacular side of Epenesa’s sport is his use of arms. His arms are energetic all through the rep, and he does a very good job clearing his chest when tackles try to latch on. You may see the expertise at instances when he strikes the opponent’s wrists, slightly than simply aimlessly throwing his arms round. Moderately than counting on burst or flexibility, he continuously defeats blocks by timing, placement, and sheer hand energy. This additionally permits him to play over guards, and never simply tackle tackles.
Sturdy play energy and size
At 6-foot-5 with lengthy arms, Epenesa possesses prototypical NFL dimension for the place. His upper-body energy stands out on movie, notably when locking out offensive tackles or controlling tight ends within the run sport. His size additionally helps him end tackles and preserve blockers away from his body. The arm size is extremely apparent to identify on movie. It provides him a bonus, regardless of not being an excellent athlete.
Epenesa reveals good consciousness towards the run and barely abandons his obligations looking for splash performs. He understands his run matches, diagnoses ideas rapidly, and shows good self-discipline when offenses try to affect him with misdirection or possibility seems to be.
His size permits him to set agency edges and preserve separation from blockers. His arm size additionally permits him to deal with when he’s inside reaching distance of a ball service, which issues!
His pursuit can also be excellent for somebody his dimension. He’s a dependable bottom defender who will make performs if shut sufficient to the again. Nonetheless, he is not going to be a kind of gamers making ridiculously athletic performs from the bottom, as a result of he doesn’t have the velocity to get throughout to the over facet rapidly sufficient. He’s simply reliably good.
Worthwhile stunt and twist defender
Whereas he lacks elite athletic traits, Epenesa may be extremely efficient because the penetrator (you need your edge defender to crash into the guard, permitting the DT to bend round you) on twists. He does the soiled work nicely. His energy forces offensive linemen to decide to him, creating alternatives for teammates looping behind him. He constantly executes these assignments with good timing and physicality resulting from his dimension.
Regardless of being greater, he’s surprisingly good at dropping into protection when wanted on sim pressures. He appears to have a very good understanding of the gamers round him, which has enabled him to select off some passes all through his profession.
The largest limitation in Epenesa’s sport is his total athletic profile. He lacks high-end change-of-direction capability and doesn’t possess the flexibleness or lower-body looseness sometimes related to top-tier edge rushers. This reveals up when trying to redirect or nook sharply on the prime of the frenzy. Extra athletic, highly effective tackles will nullify his risk a number of the time. I don’t assume he’s somebody you count on to win towards top-tier offensive linemen.
Epenesa is unlikely to constantly threaten offensive tackles with pure velocity. His first step is ample slightly than explosive, and he lacks the acceleration to often win across the outdoors shoulder. When tackles match his energy and size, he can battle to seek out other ways to create stress. Not each rusher has to win outdoors, however velocity rushers can pressure quarterbacks to step up into the pathway of inside stress. Contemplating the Eagles would really like Jalen Carter to be the centerpiece of the move rush, velocity rushes may be useful in forcing the QB to step up.
Restricted bend across the nook
Associated to his athletic limitations, Epenesa doesn’t constantly flatten to the quarterback after profitable the sting. He typically sees the frenzy lane appropriately, however lacks the ankle and hip flexibility to totally capitalize on it. A lot of his wins come by the deal with slightly than round him. He doesn’t have the vary to level his toes on the quarterback when attempting to bend the nook, which leads to him lacking the quarterback. You received’t see many wins the place he bends the sting.
Regardless of possessing glorious energy, Epenesa often surrenders leverage by taking part in with a excessive pad stage. When this occurs, blockers can get underneath him and neutralize a few of his pure energy. Given his energy profile, there are snaps the place he ought to dominate extra constantly than he does. He can have points within the run sport due to his top, and it’s seemingly linked to his top.
As soon as the ball breaks containment or reaches the perimeter, Epenesa’s athletic limitations turn out to be extra obvious. His effort is mostly good, however he lacks the pursuit velocity to constantly end performs from the bottom or chase down cell quarterbacks in house. If you may get him one-on-one vs a top-tier athlete, he’ll battle to get a hand on them. Cell quarterbacks can keep away from his rush and create outdoors of construction if he has to make a one-on-one deal with.
Coming into this analysis, I wasn’t anticipating to love A.J. Epenesa as a lot as I did.
The general theme of his movie is that he’s merely an honest soccer participant. He’s not an elite athlete, and he’s by no means going to be confused with the premier edge rushers within the NFL, however he constantly finds methods to influence video games in restricted snaps. He wins with energy, size, hand utilization, effort, and intelligence slightly than uncommon bodily traits. There are many edge defenders who look extra spectacular in house, however Epenesa understands find out how to play the place and has developed a elegant ability set over six NFL seasons.
What stood out most was how bodily he’s. He routinely collapses pockets along with his bull rush, makes use of his arms extraordinarily nicely, and performs with the type of energy that matches what the Eagles have historically valued alongside the line of defense. He isn’t a flexible velocity rusher, and he received’t threaten offensive tackles across the nook on a constant foundation, however he doesn’t must. His sport is constructed round profitable in several methods and doing the little issues nicely.
From the Eagles’ perspective, that is precisely what you need out of your fourth edge defender. The Eagles don’t want Epenesa to be a star. They have already got Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and Jonathan Greenard anticipated to deal with the majority of the workload. What they want is a reliable veteran who can take significant snaps, maintain up towards the run, generate occasional stress, and permit the youthful gamers to remain recent over a protracted season. Epenesa seems to be able to doing all of these issues.
The largest concern has nothing to do with the movie. It’s inconceivable to disregard the weird circumstances surrounding his free company. Epenesa reportedly had an settlement with Cleveland in place earlier than failing a bodily, prompting the Browns to again away from the deal. That’s not one thing that occurs typically with a 27-year-old participant coming off a season wherein he appeared in 16 video games. We don’t know precisely what prompted the failed bodily, however it might be naïve to faux it isn’t a priority.
In reality, it’s most likely the primary motive why my expectations stay considerably tempered regardless of liking the movie. If Epenesa had entered free company with a totally clear invoice of well being, I think he would have signed a lot earlier and probably for more cash. The truth that he remained accessible this late within the offseason suggests there could also be considerations across the league that merely aren’t seen on movie. Though Epenesa has been sturdy all through his profession, his snap counts have remained comparatively modest. He performed a career-high 712 snaps in 2024 earlier than dropping again to 488 in 2025 (and he was higher in 2025). Due to this fact, it’s truthful to wonder if he’s merely higher suited to a rotational function. His fashion of play is extraordinarily bodily, and a few of his effectiveness might come from staying recent slightly than taking part in 600-plus snaps a season.
Finally, I got here away viewing this as a really smart signing for the Eagles. The important thing variable is well being. If the bodily considerations show to be a non-issue, the Eagles might have added a top quality rotational defensive finish at glorious worth. If not, the danger is apparent. Primarily based purely on the movie, although, it is a participant who belongs in an NFL rotation and one who makes an already deep Eagles edge room even stronger.
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