Falato's Film Room: Georgia Edge Azeez Ojulari

Nick Falato takes a look at Georgia edge rusher Azeez Ojulari's tape to see what it is the Giants are getting in this pass rusher.

For this study, I used the following film clips:

Giants general manager Dave Gettleman trading back from 42 to 50 and still landing Georgia EDGE rusher Azeez Ojulari was an excellent reality to materialize for the New York Giants. 

Ojualri was my second graded EDGE behind Miami’s Jaelan Phillips, and he would have been a prime candidate for the Giants at pick 20 after the round one trade down.

Gettleman and the Giants staff recognize that the 2022 NFL Draft may be more of a certainty, so acquiring assets for that draft may be in the best interest for the longevity of the New York Giants. Ojulari was a productive redshirt sophomore who executed a variety of roles for Georgia’s defense.

He played on special teams and all over the defensive front for the Bulldogs, from LEO to REO on the line of scrimmage to OLB and even some apex defender. He recorded 64 total tackles, 17.5 for a loss, and 15 sacks in two seasons, while finishing with 31 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, and 9.5 sacks in 2020. Ojulari also had 38 pressures in 2019 and 37 in 2020.

Ojulari’s pro day had its ups and downs. It was a solid overall showing, but his 34.3” arms at 6’2 were definitely a win. Having the low leverage advantage of a smaller (height) while possessing the arm length of a 6’5 defender has its advantages. His 4.62 and 4.66 40-yard-dashes were solid numbers, as was his 10’7” broad (127”).

According to mockdraftable.com’s database, Ojulari’s 40 is in the 77th percentile, with his length coming in at the 95th percentile.

The numbers above are great, but his vertical wasn’t as appetizing: a 30” vertical ranks in the 17th percentile for EDGE rushers, but his 26 bench reps were well above average for the EDGE position, 90th percentile. His 7.27 3-cone wasn’t great at the 25th percentile.

Film

The first play in the video is a bit of a microcosm of Ojulari’s best pass-rushing move; it wasn’t executed overly well (it typically looks much smoother) and his lack of elite bend at the top of the arc is visible, but his go-to pass rush move is very effective. Ojualri uses a stab/long arm inside move to initiate contact as a setup move.

He then takes his outside arm and violently chops the outside arm of tackles, forcing their momentum forward. We also see the violent chop at the 50-second mark of the video; watch the separation he creates with the wide-angle and that chop.

Ojulari then uses the flexibility that he possesses to dip and bend while getting his hips flipped to the pocket. His first three steps are quick, and he has good burst in that area, which was not evident in his vertical jump, but a bit more in his broad.

Ojulari can convert speed to power which is a premier pass-rushing trait that keeps offensive tackles honest. Here is an excerpt from my scouting report of Ojulari  posted right here on Giants Country…

“The move can be called a stab/chop/rip, and he employs it frequently. Outside of that move, he doesn’t have a fully polished pass-rush plan. 

He plays with a high motor and does a solid job with his bull-rushes that he converts to push-pulls, but he could develop more counters and more moves that he can rely on consistently. He’s a balanced player who uses his hands well up the arc, but it’s mostly with his common pass-rushing move. 

Ojulari’s quickness allows him to succeed at the top of the arc; his bend is solid. He’s not the most flexible player in his lower half, but he can bend through contact showing good play strength, and get on a tilt while flipping his hips. 

In coverage, Ojulari is fluid enough to operate in space and change direction well. He has the coverage ability to drop to boundary flats and hook/curls while showing enough awareness to have success. 

Overall, Azeez Ojulari is a trade-down option, or possibly a second-round option, albeit unlikely that he’ll still be around. I believe he’ll end up being a top-three EDGE for me, especially in this Patrick Graham defense. 

He should be a good 3-4 OLB who can cover, rush the passer, and set the edge. I would not mind, whatsoever, if Ojulari is a New York Giant at the end of April--ideally in a trade-down situation.”

Run Defense

Ojualri’s height suggests he would purely be a pass rusher, but that is not true. He has a knack for finding ball carriers and using his long arms to make impressive tackles. He uses his length to get outside and does a very good job restricting inside gaps and keeping rushing lanes narrow.

I love how physical he is when taking on pulling blockers in space. Uses those big 10 ½” hands to stack, peek, and shed blockers at the point of attack. He plays with excellent leverage, good play strength, and a relentless attitude. He uses his length to dictate his intentions to the tackle, and he puts himself into advantageous situations because of his long arms and instincts.

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MORE FROM GIANTS COUNTRY

• "Trader Dave" Has New York Giants on Bold New Path 
• Giants Try to Gain the Edge with Azeez Ojulari in Round 2

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Fit with Giants

Ojulari was always a seamless fit with Patrick Graham and the New York Giants. Graham expects his EDGE defenders to not only win in the pass rush phase of playing the position, but they also have to be able to defend the run if they’re going to play as full-time defenders. Ojulari can do that.

They must also be fluid enough to drop into space and maneuver in short zones; we saw Kyler Fackrell do that quite often in 2020. Ojulari has dropped into coverage several times in the past two seasons, so he’s not a stranger to those assignments.

Final Thoughts

I love this selection for the New York Giants. Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter are both coming off serious injuries, and the Giants added Ryan Anderson from Washington, and Ifeadi Odenigbo, from Minnesota. They also still have 2020 6th round pick out of Penn State Cam Brown and 7th round pick Carter Coughlin out of the University of Minnesota.

If healthy, this isn’t an inspiring group of EDGE defenders. Ojulari steps into this group and may have the highest upside. If Carter can return to the team and be healthy, then the Giants would have an interesting one-two punch of former Georgia Bulldogs on the EDGE, but Achilles injuries are not easy to come back from. 

Nevertheless, the Giants found themselves a talented EDGE rusher who can rush the passer, play the run, be physical, and cover if asked to. He can still grow as a pass rusher and develop more of a plan/counter moves. I enjoy this selection, especially after the trade down in the second round. 

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