BJ Ojulari NFL Draft Prospect Profile and Scouting Report

LSU Edge Rusher BJ Ojulari Scouting Report for the 2023 NFL Draft

Name: BJ Ojulari

School: LSU

Year: Jr

Position: EDGE

Measurables: 6’2”, 248 lbs.

Combine:

HANDS: 10 ½”

ARM: 34 ¼”

VERTICAL: 32.5”

BROAD JUMP: 126”

Stats:

Courtesy of Sports-Reference.com

 

General Info:

Younger brother of Giants 2021 second-round selection Azeez Ojulari, football is in BJ Ojulari’s blood. BJ said of his brother, "We are definitely competitive. Everything we did growing up, we competed. Playing video games we used to butt heads all the time. At the end of the day, I think that made us closer. He's one of my best friends and best mentors now." The edge rusher was a four-star recruit at Marietta High School in Georgia and was rated 84th overall in the 2020 recruiting class. He flipped his commitment from Tennessee to LSU during his senior season that saw a school record 19 sacks.

Ojulari played all three seasons at LSU, earning Freshman All-SEC honors in 2020 and First-Team All-SEC honors in 2022. He switched to a “JACK” linebacker role for his senior season under defensive coordinator Matt House, which allowed him to utilize both his rushing and coverage skills. After declaring for the draft in December of 2022, Ojulari is projected as a late first-round or early second-round selection in 2023’s NFL Draft.

 

Positional Skills:

Strengths

BJ Ojulari is a versatile edge defender, an increasingly valuable trait in today’s NFL. Linebackers like Micah Parsons, who can both rush the passer and drop back into coverage, are a coveted asset. Ojulari fits this mold. His ability to consistently cover running backs and tight ends separates him from other edge defenders in this class.

His get-off is evident on film, and he is able to consistently beat offensive linemen to the punch. His speed rush is his most impressive move, and he often leverages this strength to beat linemen with a speed to power rush. Along with these abilities, he is skilled at utilizing finesse in his pass rush moves to keep offensive linemen on their heels. Because of his athleticism, Ojulari was often used on stunts, and he proved to be an effective pass-rusher against interior linemen as well. In my opinion, Ojulari’s best trait is his bend, which gives him a clear path to the quarterback. This is the mark of a good pass-rusher. His blend of abilities will be difficult for NFL offenses to combat.

Weaknesses

My main concern with Ojulari is his size. His height and weight are 16th percentile and 9th percentile respectively compared to others who play his position. This affected him most in the run game, where he exhibited a lack of play strength and was consistently overpowered by SEC offensive linemen. He may need to gain weight in order to adequately counter NFL offensive linemen against the run.

Ojulari’s hand placement was inconsistent, which allowed offensive linemen to regularly get their hands inside his shoulder pads—a bad place for edge defenders to find themselves, particularly undersized edge defenders. Though an incredible athlete, he tends to watch plays if the ball is not near him.

 

Fit with the Packers:

I think I speak for all Packer fans when I say that I hope I have seen the last Preston Smith pass-coverage rep. I thought it was just a Mike Pettine quirk, but Joe Barry also seems to enjoy utilizing the edge rusher in coverage. The Packers’ defensive playbook would expand a great deal if they had an outside linebacker who was capable of succeeding in this role.

In the draft, Green Bay looks for athleticism and versatility. Ojulari satisfies both of these criteria. Rashan Gary is a high-end edge defender, and BJ Ojulari would be a quality complement on the other side of the defensive line. Gary, an elite pass-rusher who has become an excellent run-defender, is not able to effectively drop into coverage. Pairing Ojulari with Gary would give the Packers a lethal duo with a multifaceted skill set. Preston Smith will turn 31 during the 2023 season, so the Packers would be wise to add youthful, high-end talent to the room. Kingsley Enagbare showed promise as a rookie, but he is best viewed as a rotational depth piece.

The Green Bay Packers have greater needs ahead of the draft than the edge position, but the team leans more toward “best player available” than “position of need”. While I do not view him as worthy of the 15th overall pick, BJ Ojulari would be great value if the Packers were able to acquire him later in the draft.

__________________________

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.

__________________________

NFL Categories: 
3 points
 

Comments (18)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
BirdDogUni's picture

March 24, 2023 at 03:17 pm

I'd rather have the 6' 6" 257 lbs Tavius Robinson... BJO is going to go way higher than Robinson, but I think Robinson is very comparable.

Think Robinson will set the edge better too.

4 points
4
0
greengold's picture

March 24, 2023 at 03:24 pm

Stop it!!! You're too funny. He's projected to be a UDFA. Save that one for after the draft!!!

LOL. OMG.

I love me some BJ... OJULARI!!!!

Really tho, he's a solid pick R2. Very solid. I think he's got the goods to line up in place of, opposite, or in rotation with Rashan Gary.

My thinking is we need two of these, the hottest EDGE players we can land. A great 5-Tech would be ideal.

1 points
1
0
BirdDogUni's picture

March 24, 2023 at 03:31 pm

I would rather have Robinson as an UDFA than BJO in the 2nd round. Hear me out. That 2nd round pick could be Dawand Jones, who could be our RT for a decade. Or it could be Darnell Washington at TE, who could actually give us a viable TE for the 1st time in decades. I'm not saying BJO isn't a decent OLBer prospect, he is, but we've ignored the offense for so long, I would rather restock the O than keep throwing high picks at the defense just to watch Barry screw the pooch anyway.

But, that's just me apparently.

5 points
5
0
greengold's picture

March 24, 2023 at 04:12 pm

Nope. I'm high on Dawand Jones for the exact same reasons.

The thing is, we need pass rush, and BJ Ojulari had probably half again as many reps as his older brother who plays for the Giants. He's got pedigree. He's got the quicks and the bend. Gary's knee injury was devastating last year, and while Enagbare was decent, we missed much when Gary went down for the rest of the season.

Ojulari I look at as being a decent value in R2. He definitely needs a year or two of development, especially in his base. Legs are skinny. I doubt highly Dawand drops to us there. That's all. I have others I don't wish to mention at the pick #... any of the 42. 43. 45...

We're going to need a Top LT out of this draft if Bak is indeed traded, and, none of us knows what happens with Yosh, so, we'll likely need one regardless.

That would leave us one R1 if we burn one on say, Paris Johnson Jr. Burning the other on a RT? Eh... maybe??? We'd likely miss on better players though, ones far more worthy of the 15 overall. btw, I know you're not saying we should nab both OTs there... and, it may, indeed, be a smart play.

Tavius Robinson's production was decent, and maybe he should be ranked higher.

1 points
1
0
Thegreatreynoldo's picture

March 24, 2023 at 04:16 pm

The draft network likes Tavius Robinson in the 3rd/4th but apparently as a developmental prospect with upside. The consensus draft has Robinson as a 7th rounder. NFL dot com has him at 6.18. I'd like to see his 3 cone. 23 reps, 4.62 20 yd shuttle, 1.63 10-yard, 4.66 forty.

3 points
3
0
BirdDogUni's picture

March 24, 2023 at 04:33 pm

Yeah, I think he'll go a good two rounds below BJO, but I think Tavius would be a great role player this year and "could" develop into starter. If he is only ever a role player, he still only cost us a 4th round pick or lower...

With good coaching and good work ethic, Tavius could be special in a couple years. (Too bad our defensive coaching leaves a lot to be desired...)

3 points
3
0
DoubleJ's picture

March 25, 2023 at 11:38 am

For DL and OL the 10 yard split is more important than the 40 time.

2 points
2
0
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

March 24, 2023 at 07:08 pm

He would be a very good one while adding one of the three I mention below with some beef & power.

Myles Murphy who is 6'5" and 275 lbs who runs a 4.5 in the 40. Adetomiwa Adebawore at 6'2" and 282 lbs who runs the 40 in 4.49. Keion White who benched pressed 225 lbs 30 times, and ran a 4.65 at 6'5" and 286 lbs.

3 points
3
0
WD's picture

March 25, 2023 at 07:31 am

I agree. Adetomiwa Adebawore is truly a freak of nature. A 282 lb Edge/DL who runs a 4.49. Let that sink in. Also he is a player. Look at the film from Northwestern. I am surprised he is not a top 10 pick.

1 points
1
0
BirdDogUni's picture

March 25, 2023 at 12:45 pm

Yet, he's the 24th ranked DE by NFL.com.

https://www.nfl.com/combine/tracker/participants/de/all-colleges/

Not saying they're right. Just saying it's a fact, he's rated 24th...

1 points
1
0
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

March 24, 2023 at 07:07 pm

There are a lot of these fast & twitchy Edge rushers who are light in the shorts that are able to get after the QB, but have trouble setting the edge. Guys like Nolan Smith, Will McDonald, BJ Ojulari, and so on. I like those Edge rushers who have quickness and bull power like Gary. Guys like Myles Murphy who is 6'5" and 275 lbs who runs a 4.5 in the 40. That is crazy! Has bull strength too! Another is Adetomiwa Adebawore at 6'2" and 282 lbs who runs the 40 in 4.49. Otherwise, a Keion White who benched pressed 225 lbs 30 times, and ran a 4.65 at 6'5" and 286 lbs. Pair Gary on one side with one add one of these three on the opposite side and you have some serious beef coming at you. Adetomiwa in particular broke records at the Combine with his speed and athleticism. Would love him with his upside!

1 points
1
0
DoubleJ's picture

March 25, 2023 at 10:41 am

Nolan Smith actually set a very good edge in college. He was VIOLENT with his hands on opposing linemen. Adebawore I think could be a good player to move inside especially on passing downs. He could be an Aaron Donald type inside rusher IMO.

1 points
1
0
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

March 26, 2023 at 06:42 am

Maybe Nolan can set the edge okay in the NFL but the NFL is different in college. Be interesting to see if the Packers would take an Edge Nolan Smith size, or Will McDonald as both guys are explosive for sure.

0 points
0
0
DoubleJ's picture

March 25, 2023 at 10:37 am

I'd rather see Nolan Smith, who despite being small was able to set the edge, or Tuli Tuipulotu. Both are very athletic and young. Smith just turned 22 and Tuipulotu won't turn 21 until the season begins.

1 points
1
0
golfpacker1's picture

March 24, 2023 at 08:46 pm

Tavius would be a steal in the 4th round. A ton of upside. Sorry but I would pick Will Mcdonald-Iowa State over Ojulari. He is bigger, just as fast, and a freak athlete. I am an Iowa Hawkeye fan and we play our rival Iowa State every year so I get to see their best players every year. Will Mcdonald is the real deal as is his teammate Xavier Hutchinson-WR. Both will probably go in the 3rd round and 2 teams are going to be really happy they picked them.

Zach Harrison-Ohio State fits our edge rusher profile @ 6'6 275 and he runs in the 4.4s. Wow! He reminds me of Gary only a little faster. Harrison had a similar career as Gary too. Not a ton of sacks but alot of talent. My Michigan buddy said we wouldn't be happy drafting Gary after he underperformed but that turned out pretty good. Harrison and Gary on both ends would be a good look for the Packers and the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry would push them to new heights.

1 points
1
0
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

March 25, 2023 at 07:38 am

I do like Will McDonald a lot! The Packers have trouble stopping the run and wonder about McDonalds size in the run game. For pass coverage I would think with his athleticism and quickness he should be really good at that. I think Hutchinson is a very good WR and often wonder whether Tillman or himself will be drafted first.

0 points
0
0
DoubleJ's picture

March 25, 2023 at 10:47 am

Harrison looks like a good R4 or R5 traits pick.

0 points
0
0
PeteK's picture

March 25, 2023 at 11:30 am

After losing Reed and his 52 tkls, we could use a pure DE who could provide some pass rush and shore up our poor run D. TE and DE are priorities for me followed by a strong S and/or a CB or FS that can cover the deep zone like LeRoy Butler.

0 points
0
0