WATCH: Bills DE dominates grip strength competition at Von Miller's Sack Summit

Buffalo Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa dominated a grip strength competition at Von Miller's recent Sack Summit in Las Vegas.

Kyle Silagyi | Jul 3, 2024

Oct 9, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end AJ Epenesa (57) and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. (65) in the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

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Buffalo Bills defensive end Von Miller hosted his annual Sack Summit in Las Vegas last weekend, a multi-day event that brought some of the most vaunted pass rushers in the NFL to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Fertitta Football Complex. Several of Miller’s Buffalo teammates attended the summit, with a few of them even taking part in a grip strength competition that unfolded in the Sin City.

The friendly—though admittedly heated—competition saw NFL defensive linemen test their grip strength with a handgrip measurer. Some of the league’s most feared pass rushers—including Josh Allen, Cameron Jordan, and Matthew Judon—took part in the contest, but it was a nationally underrated Bills defensive end who came out on top.

Buffalo defender A.J. Epenesa recorded the highest grip strength out of competing players, generating 203 pounds of force. The next highest score came from Detroit Lions defensive end Marcus Davenport, who produced 196 pounds of tension.

You can watch the full clip below:

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Other Bills who participated in the competition include DaQuan Jones (who generated 186 pounds of force), Javon Solomon (185), Kingsley Jonathan (175), the aforementioned Von Miller (152), DeWayne Carter (138), Branson Deen (120), and David Ugwoegbu (112).

A second-round pick of Buffalo in the 2020 NFL Draft, Epenesa has had a largely pedestrian professional career. Viewed as a power rusher coming out of Iowa, the Bills’ brass initially asked him to fundamentally alter his game, resulting in his dropping of significant weight and evolution into more of a speed-centric player. The transition took several years, but he’s developed into a well-rounded pass rusher who shows flashes with both his strength and speed; he’s coming off back-to-back 6.5 sack seasons, something that prompted Buffalo to give him a two-year extension in the 2024 offseason.

Epenesa, thus far, has just four career starts under his belt, but this number may increase significantly in the 2024 NFL season; if Miller is not able to bounce back from an incredibly underwhelming 2023 campaign, Epenesa could ascend into a starting role given the offseason departure of team sack-leader Leonard Floyd.

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