NFL Draft Profile: BJ Ojulari, EDGE, LSU Tigers

NFL Draft profile scouting report for LSU LB BJ Ojulari

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#8
Pos: EDGE
Ht: 6021
Wt: 248
Hand: 1048
Arm: 3428
Wing: 8178
40: 4.49
DOB: 4/5/2002
Hometown: Marietta, GA
High School: Marietta
Eligibility: 2023

BJ Ojulari
LSU Tigers

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One-Liner:

A standout since his freshman season with the LSU football program, B.J. Ojulari boasts impressive burst and bend that should appeal to most NFL teams; that said, he has underwhelming play strength and plays with a high pad level that gives his chest up routinely.

Evaluation:

The 2020 LSU football team brought in substantial high-level talent after the program’s outstanding 2019 year. Among that group of talented underclassmen, B.J. Ojulari was seen as perhaps the most exciting prospect. After a promising freshman season, the Tigers’ star had an impressive statistical performance in 2021 against SEC competition and, what’s more, multiple draft prospects at offensive tackle. An extremely athletic 3-4 outside linebacker, Ojulari boasts an excellent first step and twitchy, sudden change of direction ability. As a pass rusher, he can win with pure burst and stellar bend. That said, he has flashed a variety of hand moves and creative counters. A true inside-outside threat thanks to his movement skills, Ojulari is long for his height and can win power rushes when he plays with proper pad level and gets into blockers’ frames. He is typically too strong for tight ends and has the upper body strength to, at times, displace offensive linemen. He has the wherewithal to drop his pads late in the play if he initially loses the leverage battle. He uses salesmanship to force blockers to overset before capitalizing with hard-to-match movement skills. In run defense, Ojulari regularly maintains a low pad level. He has a solid anchor to set the edge and can even fight hands while stacked to shed cleanly. He has substantial range at the first level and the athleticism to handle limited coverage responsibilities. Nevertheless, the athletic linebacker has weaknesses that, in many ways, build upon each other. He is on the smaller side for his position and he regularly gives up leverage with high pad level and inaccurate hands. Moreover, he lacks power in full-man engagement. As a result, he is routinely controlled or locked up if offensive linemen successfully take advantage of his tendency to give up his chest. Once they have latched on, he struggles to break their grips. Further, He can be sealed out of gaps in the run game and stifled as a pass rusher. Additionally, Ojulari must learn to recognize when a blocker is overcommitting; the LSU standout has the movement skills to capitalize on such mistakes. Finally, he is inconsistent in every area. He does not employ his hands and salesmanship enough, nor does he use his rare combination of burst and bend to the extent that he should. B.J. Ojulari is a low-floor player with an extremely high ceiling.

Grade:

1st-2nd Round

Background:

BJ Ojulari is a leader both on and off the field. As the son of a Nigerian prince, he has learned about the true impact he makes on and off the field. As the 2022 season is fast approaching, BJ is a 2022 All America and All Sec preseason player. From Marietta, Georgia, Ojulari experienced both the offensive and defensive side of the ball where he was also a right tackle. He excelled best at the defensive end position where he was ranked the ninth best weak side defensive end in his class and a four star outside linebacker by ESPN. 

"As a person, he's what you want to represent your program. That's why he's represented us as our student-athlete representative in the NCAA forums. He represented us in our student-athlete interactions on campus. He represents us here today because his traits are outstanding. His character, how he handles himself in the classroom, he's a leader. I couldn't say more about the integrity and character that he has. Look, we're going to talk about his ability to rush the passer and his prominence there. But I could talk more about the person than the player today because that's who I've been associating myself with more on a day-to-day basis." -- LSU HC Brian Kelly on LB BJ Ojulari