EDGE, Georgia
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 240 lbs
Class: rs-Sophomore
Ojulari hit the ground running in his first year as a starter for Georgia. The redshirt sophomore finished the year with a 91.7 PFF pass rushing grade, ranked third amongst all FBS edge rushers. He is still a little raw, but has the athleticism and production to be a top quality player in the NFL.
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Strengths
Ojulari excelled in his first season as a starter for the Bulldogs. He finished the year with 37 pressures, including nine sacks, on just 193 pass rushing snaps. Per PFF he ranked second in the FBS in pass rushing productivity, behind only Oklahoma’s Nik Bonitto. His performance against Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl was particularly impressive. Ojulari finished with five pressures, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a safety.
Where he wins is with his speed and agility. Ojulari showcases tremendous explosiveness off the line of scrimmage and is probably the best pure speed rusher in this class. His ability to test the depth of even the most athletic tackles shows on his tape and is the kind of thing that NFL teams will love to see.
You can see how athletic he is when he is asked to drop into coverage. Whilst he isn’t a genuine hybrid pass rusher like Joseph Ossai, he has the skill set and short area quickness to drop into zones and play effectively in coverage. Georgia even used him in man coverage at times against running backs and tight ends. This gives him the versatility to play as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, or as a more conventional defensive end in a 4-3.
Another aspect of Ojulari’s game that stands out is his hand usage. They are quick and powerful and easily some of the best in the 2021 class. Despite being a little undersized, his first punch has real power and enables him to get bigger tackles off balance.
Whilst he hasn’t played a tonne throughout his college careeer, he has shown improvement with increased exposure. He adapted well to his starting role in 2020, developing into a top prospect in a comparatively short time span. His run defense was a notable improvement this season and gives him a much more well rounded profile.
Weaknesses
Ojulari was very productive this season, but he isn’t the finished product. His pass rushing approach is a little one dimensional at the moment and needs more fleshing out. He relies almost exclusively on his speed to get to the edge. You rarely see him attack the inside shoulder of his opponent and when he does he doesn’t tend to create any pressure.
The other issue he has is when opponents get their hands on him. He struggles to disengage from blockers and if his initial plan doesn’t work he isn’t the fastest at coming up with an alternate strategy. Ojulari lacks the power of some of the other edge rushers in this class and it is certainly an area in which he will need to improve in order to have success in the NFL.
Some teams will have concerns that at 6’3″ and 240 lbs that he is a little undersized. There aren’t many edge rushers of a comparable size in the NFL and you would expect him to bulk up to meet the physical demands at the next level.
Bottom Line
Ojulari elevated his stock significantly this season. He showcases the tools and production to be considered a first round pick and is the best speed rusher in this class. If he can add some more power to his pass rush and diversify his approach he could be an excellent edge rusher at the next level.
Big Board Rank: #31
Positional Rank: #5
