Giants Need Azeez Ojulari to Step Up in 2023
Azeez Ojulari, IDL
Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 249 pounds
2021 stats: GP 17 / GS 10: 33 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks
Azeez Ojulari appeared to be a steal for the Giants in 2021 when they grabbed him in the draft's second round. Sure enough, the young man flashed some potential as a pass rusher, finishing with a team-leading 8.0 sacks as a rookie.
In Year 2, Ojulari came to camp significantly bulked up, the idea behind that being better able to withstand the grind he'd be facing. Alas, he dealt with an assortment of lower body injuries that cost him ten regular season games, which frustrated onlookers who would get excited with his pass-rushing prowess only to be disappointed when he had to miss time.
Interestingly, his off-season work to build up his upper body did not help his ability to contain his edge vs. the run when he was healthy enough to play. In 80 run defense snaps, he had two missed tackles (18.2 percent) and made only nine stops. That's not very promising production from a guy who projects as an every-down outside linebacker, though again, how much of that was a result of his lower body injuries needs to be considered in the evaluation.
A healthy Ojulari is key for this Giants defense. He showed more flexibility and explosiveness last year, and he did a much better job of beating his man around the edge than he had as a rookie.
Best Case Scenario
Ojulari has proven that he is someone that must be accounted for, especially when it comes to the pass rush. He's recorded 13.5 sacks in two seasons, and the incredible thing is that 5.5 of those sacks came in seven games last year, meaning if he had been healthy enough to play in all 17 games, he might very well have hit double-digit sacks.
Projections aside, Ojulari will be one of the starting outside linebackers if he can stay healthy, of course. He will need to improve against the run to avoid becoming a liability, but there is much to work with in this former Georgia Bulldog defender.
Worst Case Scenario
When the Giants had Ojualri and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the field, it created a "pick your poison" scenario for the opponents, who already had to deal with Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence trying to collapse the pocket up front.
And with all due respect to the other outside linebackers the team has on the roster-- the same cast of characters as last year, by the way--until further notice, they don't have a solid No. 3 who can step in for Ojulari and deliver the same type of production he has proven himself capable of delivering. If Ojulari can't get the injury bug under control, that would be a big thorn in the Gints' side this year.
What to Expect in 2023
Ojulari is projected to start opposite Thibodeaux in this defense. He's shown that he can be productive, but until he shows that he can be healthy, there will be question marks about him.
Ojualri didn't speak at the podium this spring, which is unfortunate because it would have been interesting to hear what he's done differently this offseason in his training to ensure he kicks the injury bug.
Martindale did tell reporters that "the best way I could describe it" regarding Ojulari is he's "a lot more sturdy this year," also adding, "We’ll see how that translates."
Hopefully, it translates into a productive pass-rushing season for the third-year player.
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