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Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

A.J. Epenesa is on everybody's board as a first-round draft pick, and there's little doubt the elite Iowa defensive end will be one of the first 32 players taken.

But how far down the first round will he go?

Whereas Epenesa was once thought of as a top-10 lock, his stock may be tumbling a bit with each game in which he doesn't produce what many pro scouts would like to see. Is he dealing with double teams all the time? He definitely is, and it's probably frustrating him a little bit.

But on Saturday, he had a prime opportunity to pin his ears back and go after a Purdue team that likes to fling the ball all over the field.

The result? Epenesa had zeroes across the board with just one pass deflection. He has only three sacks this year after 10.5 a season ago in a reverse role. Following the win over the Boilermakers, Epenesa said Saturday was about depth:

"Last year, we had a good thing going with the eight-man rotation, and this year, we have guys who had zero game experience coming into the season, and it's just kind of like giving them a little bit each time. Today was a bigger day for those guys, but it's all about them proving themselves each week in practice and in the games that they can go out there and we can rotate and get that freshness coming like we had the past few seasons."

There's nothing wrong with building depth, but Epenesa needs some splash plays from an individual standpoint. Given his skill set and size (6'6", 280 lbs), he's going to be a guy over whom scouts drool in the combine. His intelligence is exceptional, too, and no matter his role throughout his Hawkeyes career, he's accepted it.

But this should be his season to shine, and in terms of statistics, it hasn't gone the way he might like.