Azeez Ojulari is a very interesting prospect. The EDGE rusher from Georgia holds some great attributes, but also struggles with some aspects of his game.
Ojulari was redshirted his freshman year and then played pretty well his second year with the program. His third and final year was where he really started to raise his draft stock.
Highlights
Junior Season Stats
In 10 games, Ojulari racked up 31 total tackles which ranked 6th for the Bulldogs. 12.5 of those tackles were tackles for losses. Along with the TFL’s, the EDGE rusher had 37 pressures and 9.5 sacks with 4 forced fumbles.
Strengths
Ojulari is a very unique player. Yes, he is undersized, but his pass rush moves make up for the lack of size. He is exceptional with his hands against offensive tackles and gets to the quarterback in a hurry. He also has great bend getting around tackles when using his straight speed rush move. At his pro-day, Ojulari ran a 4.66 forty, which is a great time for an EDGE rusher. He is also pretty good in pass coverage, as his speed makes it relatively easy for him to keep up with TE’s in man coverage.
Weaknesses
Ojulari is listed as 6’3″, 240 lbs. You might see that and think, “Wow, that’s good size for a pass rusher.” Well, if you see Ojulari play, he does not look that size. He has a very thin frame, which makes it difficult for him to have an NFL ready power rush move. It seemed to me that he only has one rush move and depends on his speed way too much. He needs at least one or two more moves added to his repertoire to be an elite pass rush prospect in this draft.
Comparison and Draft Projection
Comparison – Yannick Ngakoue
Draft Projection – Round 2, Pick 7 (Detroit Lions)
Ojulari would be a perfect stand up pass rush linebacker in Detroit’s scheme. It is uncertain what kind of defense new Head Coach Dan Cambell is going to run in Detroit, but having Ojulari will help Campbell a lot with his new defense.