EDWARDSVILLE - Two former Edwardsville High School football stars, defensive lineman A.J. Epenesa and offensive lineman Nick Kaltmayer, have officially signed their rookie contracts with a pair of National Football League teams on Friday.
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According to various media reports, Epenesa signed a four-year deal with the Buffalo Bills worth $5.877 million, including a $1.834 million signing bonus. The Bills selected Epenesa with the 54th overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft on April 24. Meanwhile, Kaltmayer, who was an undrafted free agent, signed a three-year contract with the Miami Dolphins worth $2.285 million, in a report from the sports website Sportac.com.
Epenesa, a 2016 graduate of Edwardsville, played three years with Iowa, recording 101 tackles and 26.5 sacks in his career with the Hawkeyes. He was named the defensive MVP of the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl last Dec. 27 in San Diego, tying a school record with 2.5 sacks in a 49-27 win over Southern California. He was named first-team All-American by the online sports website The Athletic and the Associated Press All-Bowl team.
Kaltmayer was an offensive lineman at Kansas State after transferring from Western Illinois. He played in all 38 games he was eligible to play in for the Wildcats, starting all 13 at tackle in his senior season. He was honorable mention All-Big XII Conference, and was also named to the conference's All-Academic team in 2018 and 2019.
Both the Bills and Dolphins are in the AFC East division, and are scheduled to play each other twice, on Sept 20 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and on the season's final week, Jan. 3 at New Era Field in suburban Buffalo. The Dolphins failed to make last year's NFL playoffs, while the Bills lost at Houston 22-19 in overtime in the first AFC Wild Card Game.
