Sports Illustrated’s mock NFL draft has an Edwardsville grad going in the top 10

Former Edwardsville Tiger star A.J. Epenesa is headed into his junior season with the Iowa Hawkeyes with some NFL hype.

In Sports Illustrated’s 2020 Mock NFL Draft released earlier this month, the 6-6 290-pound Epenesa is projected as the No. 6 overall pick, going to the Detroit Lions.

As a sophomore led the Big Ten with 10 1/2 sacks, was fourth in the conference with 16 1/2 tackles for loss, and his four forced fumbles was the 16th best total in the nation. He was named first team all-Big Ten by the media and second team all-Big Ten by the league’s coaches.

He was also named to the Big Ten’s all-freshman team in 2017, when he recorded 15 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks

Epenesa is a 2017 graduate of Edwardsville High School where he earned all-state honors in football, basketball and track as a senior.

This story was originally published July 31, 2019 at 8:39 AM.