Azeez Ojulari Ready to Join Elite Group of Giants Edge Rushers

The New York Giants' second-round pick hopes to become part of a special club of homegrown pass rushers who have worn the Giants uniform from Day 1.

Former Georgia edge rusher Azeez Ojulari will soon get a solid lesson in New York Giants history, specifically regarding the chapter on the great homegrown pass rushers like Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Lawrence Taylor, Jason Pierre-Paul, Carl Banks, and Osi Umenyiora, who have proudly worn the franchise’s jersey.

But even before he gets that lesson, the 20-year-old Ojulari is confident that he can do that group of star-studded legends proud by becoming the franchise’s next homegrown pass-rushing stud.

“Yeah, man, definitely. You know, just seeing all those great Giants that came through there and just knowing that you got to come in, ready to work and put it down on the table--you know, give them all you got,” Ojulari said during a call with the Giants media shortly after being selected with the 50th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

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In three college seasons for the Bulldogs, where current Giants linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer recruited him, Ojulari has done just that. According to Pro Football Focus, Ojulari led all draft-eligible edge rushers this year in pass-rush productivity rate (12.9%) while posting 68 total tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, and 15 sacks in his college career.

“I’ve got good speed, strength, covert that strength to speed, the power to be the guy off the edge to beat inside and affect the quarterback a lot,” Ojulari said when asked to describe his top strengths.

Ojulari, who downplayed a knee issue that popped up during his medicals, spent the tie leading up to the draft training at Exos in Pensacola, where he gained some muscle mass (he wouldn’t say how much) through modifying his diet and workouts.

That added mass will presumably help him in the NFL, especially against bigger opponents.

In terms of his pass-rushing game, Ojulari, who also spoke with reporters last month after his pro day, has mastered some pass-rushing moves that he has in his arsenal that he’s been working on since his freshman season—moves that will serve him well in his upcoming role.

“My time at Georgia, you're working every single day since freshman just finding a move that worked for me,” he said. “And once I found it, I just kept going to it and adjusting off of it when I had to.”

While he views himself as an NFL-caliber pass rusher, Ojulari, who likes to model his game after the Bucs’ Shaq Barrett, still sees plenty of room for growth.

“One thing I can improve definitely, I would say working more counter moves. You know, being more efficient with that,” he said. “That's something I could definitely improve on.”

The road for Ojulari won’t be easy as Giants head coach Joe Judge insists that all players, regardless of how they came to the organization, work to earn their position and snaps. But it should help Ojulari that he comes from a system at Georgia that’s similar to what the Giants run.

“Georgia is kind of similar, some similarities, you know, with the defense, so I've been through it a lot,” he said. “So I feel like I'll be good with the scheme and everything coming in. So, you know, just get ready to work and learn, you know, learn from the best.”

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