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Another talented pass rusher declared for the NFL Draft. BJ Ojulari on Pittsburgh Could he be on the Steelers’ radar?
A former four-star contender from Marietta, Georgia, Ojulari made an immediate contribution as a freshman to the LSU Tigers defense, posting a three-sack performance in one of his fourth career games.
Ojulari got his first job as a sophomore and led the team in seven sacks. Coming into his junior season, Ojulari was a renowned commodity within the NFL draft community for his pass rushing prowess and devastating ability. He finished his college career in 2022 with another strong campaign.
The Steelers, like the rest of the NFL, are always looking for pass rushers, but where does Ojulari fit in the edge class of talent?
Ojulari is primarily deployed as an outside weakside for linebackers off-front for LSU. Called to operate primarily from a two-point stance, Ojulari’s primary objective in the Tigers’ defense was to rush passersby. Most of his rushing opportunities occurred with either his 7 tech or wide his 9 his alignment where he can maximize his speed off the edge. It’s also worth mentioning that Ojulari spends a lot of time scrimmage from both sides of his line and doesn’t seem to have a noticeable preference for either side.
strength
First of all, Ojulari intangibles are off the charts. Not only was Junior voted as his captain of the team, but he was also awarded the prestigious number 18 jersey by his LSU coaching staff. For those unfamiliar with the importance of numbers, here’s some context on what it all means, straight from his head coach, Brian Kelly.
“The number 18 is a player who brings all the hallmarks of someone who leads in an extraordinary way,” Kelly said. “… attention to detail, great focus represent programs in the classroom, community and field in a positive way.”
Older brother Aziz is a notoriously hard worker with NFL pedigree as he was a second round draft pick by the New York Giants in 2021.
Ojulari’s on-field scout reports have a lot to do with his athleticism, especially his speed. Impressive straight-line speed and explosive power are two of his main elements that immediately stand out in the film. He is listed as 6-3, 250 pounds, so his overall frame is on the smaller side, but he makes up for it with his athleticism.
While understanding his current limitations as a player, Ojulari knows very well how to use his strengths to win. His value as a pass rusher with translatable traits is what makes him such a hot commodity throughout the draft process.
As a pass rusher, Ojulari can be incredibly destructive off the edge. He is a speed-first rusher, routinely hitting the outside shoulder of his tackle and speeding up the arch. Has a lightning fast first step to give advantage. Ojulari creates confusion for quarterbacks at the top of the drop, often forcing opposing quarterbacks to quickly step into the pocket to avoid him. He’s a very intelligent player who knows where he’s in the pocket, and when he feels he’s going too far upfield, instead of running away from the play, he’s quick to move to the quarter. Spin back towards the back.
Ojulari’s go-to move is the ghost move, where he flashes his hand to stop the tackle, stops the tackle to shoot his hand, and dives under the tackle. When utilizing this move, the Ojulari does an excellent job of soaking the inside of the shoulder to reduce surface area. There are many examples of how this move alone gave him a certain fit in the best competition.
Another notable attribute Ojulari has as a pass rusher is his ability to flex on contact. As Ojulari reaches the top of his rush, he begins to flatten to quarterback. Ojulari flexes his ankle flexibility and lower body so that he can twist his body in wicked ways on the way to the quarterback even if he hits an offensive tackle that is usually in recovery mode at that point. Indicates that
Not only is his ability to withstand contact and keep fighting with reps, but the speed and angles he can do is also compelling.
Aside from speed dips and ghost moves, Ojulari has plenty of other pass rushing moves. He has a quick hand, crosses he chops, clubs his lip, and two hands he flashes his swipe.
To combine with his primary pass rushing move, he also possesses several counters that he works with, depending on how enemy tackles react to his original rush pass. . His favorite inside counters are club swims and inside swim moves.
Ojulari has a clear pass rush plan, which improved significantly during his time in college. He sets up blockers with tempo and pace, and Euro shows nuances in his steps and jab steps to throw blockers off balance or tilt in one direction.
Deploying a different front with Ojulari over the guard, he wreaked havoc when LSU chose to move him inside on a pass down. The SEC guard wasn’t fast enough on his feet to handle his lateral quickness, and he handled them quickly whenever he got the chance. It has a flash that uses leg drive and natural leverage to convert speed into power.
I don’t think he’s as tall as his brother.
Ojulari is a bit of a disappointment as a run defender at this point, but still has some positive qualities in this regard. First, Ojulari can confuse with quick hands and sudden lower-body movements to avoid blockers targeting him. He is an aspiring run defender who plays with quality effort and his speed helps him take down blocks from the back of the run play. Whenever he chooses to declare himself a defender, Ojulari has no trouble carrying out his duties. He’s pretty solid in terms of hitting power, as he’s not often seen getting dragged by a ball carrier for extra yards after contact.
The coaching decision behind this is a bit strange, but Ojulari has plenty of experience falling into zone coverage. In his final season at LSU, he dropped into coverage 16.2% of the time, according to the PFF. This is considerably more than some of the other top edge his defenders in his class in the draft.
Most of these drops were in the flat or curl/hook zones, and there was nothing noticeable, good or bad, on the tape that popped out, but he gained depth quite comfortably and was able to pull in the space. I’m playing
weakness
He’s been at a healthy weight since entering college, but there’s no other way around it, and Ojulari still needs to get stronger.
He doesn’t always take full responsibility in run defense, but some of the better tackles in the conference could knock him out of the gap or out of play altogether. There was even a time when End was propping up a block against him in a trench, which was a little worrying.
The lack of upper-body strength also manifests in stacking and shedding blocks, slowing him back into the mix away from blocks when blockers dabble in him. There are also some missed tackles on the tape, which need to be cleaned up.
He’s already an impactful pass rusher, but to level up in that regard, he’ll have more power and pop to give his opponents tackles more scare. Ghost’s move, on which he relies heavily, is an advanced move that most college tackles are unprepared for, but NFL tackles have a hand-to-hand streak until they prove they can run through chests with some consistency. He’s shorter than any tackle and needs to use that natural strength to his advantage. With that in mind, he could also use his length to do a better job. I only forced two fumbles on the , so I can focus more on getting the ball out.
Ojulari is effective as a speed rusher, but has a habit of accidentally stepping out of his stance. Sometimes it’s maddening to watch as we often see him lifting his front leg off the ground first instead of rolling over and exploding upfield. He’s very explosive and otherwise wasn’t a big deal in college, so you have to be really careful to notice it. It can make a big difference to your stats and turn some of those pressures and quarterback hits into more sack production.
He’s really fast, but he should be faster.
Numbers to watch out for
– Career: 77 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
– 2022 totals: 34 tackles, 8.5 tackle losses, 5.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
・ 18.0% pass rush win rate in 2022, 17th among Power Five EDGE Rusher (PFF)
Finished 6th in Total Pressure (54) in 2021 and 10th in Total Pressure (49) in 2022 among Power Five Edge Rusher (PFF)
– 3.5 sacks and 7 quarterback hits in the first two games of 2022 (Florida/Mississippi)
projection
With his extraordinary intangibles, top-notch pass rushing traits, and great athleticism, there’s a lot to get excited about when evaluating Ojulari as a prospect. .
Early on as a rookie, he is likely to be a pass rushing specialist, going out on the field in obvious passing situations. It will be a 3-4 edge defender in schemes that utilize the . In order for Ojulari to become his down player, he needs to get a little stronger without sacrificing cramps while continuing to improve against runs.
It’s important to remember that Ojulari turns 21 just weeks before the 2023 NFL Draft. It’s reasonable to assume he’ll fill his frame as he ages, and it also shows that he’s never seen anything close to the best he has to offer as a player. As evaluators, approximately 8-10 men are labeled as ‘my men’ through the process each year. Ojulari is believed to be a permanent fixture on this year’s list. I’m a big believer in his personality, current skill set, and potential limitations.
Ojulari currently has a late first-round, early second-round grade pending test numbers and measurements. If the Steelers don’t see Alex Highsmith as part of their long-term plan due to cost, Ojulari certainly fits the bill for what they want in a replacement. Not only is Pittsburgh’s scheme perfect for his set of skills, but the idea that as a rookie he won’t be forced to start his roll right away, it’s also ideal.
In the short term, this gives you quality edge depth behind the two best pass rushers and an experienced long-term option should highsmiths become unholdable in the future. There is a possibility that it will be
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