Name: Azeez Ojulari
Position: EDGE
School: Georgia
Height: 6-2
Weight: 249
NFL Grade: 6.42 (will be starter within first two seasons)
Stats: Ojulari capped off his Bulldog career with a three-sack performance against Cincinnati in the Chick Fil-A Peach Bowl on New Year's Day, where he ended up as the game's Defensive MVP. He also forced two fumbles, making up half of his season total in 2020. Ojulari ended his redshirt sophomore season with 31 total tackles, 12.5 of which were for loss and 8.5 sacks in 10 games. He led the team with 35 quarterback pressures and earned himself Second-Team All-SEC honors along with being named to the AP All-Bowl Team.
A two-year starter for Georgia, Ojulari has been consistent, amassing 36 total tackles, six for loss and five sacks in 2019. He redshirted in 2018, though played in three games, including the Sugar Bowl against Texas, where he recorded three tackles. Ojulari was a four-star recruit coming out of Marietta High School in Georgia and elected to stay with his home-state team.
Comments:
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein says Ojulari is 'built like a super hero,' given his broad chest and tapered waist. He was the first freshman under Head Coach Kirby Smart to be named a team captain, which speaks to his character as much as his on-field production. His ability off the edge is aided by his aggressive demeanor, which should make him pro ready and therefore qualifies him a potential first-rounder.
"Fully grown 3-4 outside linebacker with NFL-ready strength and impressive explosiveness," writes Zierlein. "Ojulari is better in pursuit than he is as an edge setter, but he is quick to slide off a block and either make a tackle or accelerate to pursue in space. His ability to attack pulling blocks and shut down potential running lanes was fun to watch against Alabama. He has quality rush burst with loose limbs, but has a limited number of rush moves. Ojulari hasn't learned to set up blockers yet. The strength, football character, explosiveness and athleticism all get check marks, but he won't reach his potential until he cultivates his pass-rush talent and learns to stay separated from the punch.
Though the Bucs deploy a hybrid scheme, its roots are in the 3-4 and Ojulari seems like he'd fit right in as an outside linebacker to complement the dynamic duo of Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul. Neither of them like to ever come out of the game but a solid rotation can keep all players fresh – and, in turn, aggressive, which is what Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles' scheme is predicated on. That's another reason it seems Ojulari could fit right in, along with being the type of man off the field that the Bucs look for when assembling their team.
