2021 NFL draft: Breaking down Titans EDGE target Azeez Ojulari

The Tennessee Titans will be in the market for a pass rusher this offseason, and one of the avenues the team could look at to fill the need is during the 2021 NFL draft.

Georgia EDGE Azeez Ojulari is one prospect who has been mocked to the Titans by several draft experts this offseason and is a potential target for the team in the first round at No. 22 overall.

With all that in mind, we thought we’d take a closer look at a full breakdown of what Ojulari brings to the table.

Name: Azeez Ojulari

Position: EDGE

School: University of Georgia

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 240 pounds

College career and accolades

During his time at the University of Georgia, Ojulari was often considered underweight for his position. Nonetheless, he possesses the tenacity and technique to overcome any narrative that people try to attach to him.

Following the 2018 campaign in which he preserved his redshirt eligibility after putting up just four tackles and one tackle for loss, Ojulari earned himself a much bigger role in 2019. He played in 11 games for the Bulldogs, tallying 33 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and one forced fumble.

Heading into 2020, Ojulari was an unquestioned starter with extremely high expectations — and he seemingly met, if not surpassed them despite the complicated circumstances stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The talented Georgia prospect started in all 10 games and accounted for 31 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles, and two passes defended.

The talented Georgia edge rusher earned the prestigious recognition as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award (top defensive player in college football). Ojulari also finished with Second-Team All-SEC honors at outside linebacker.

After a dominant 2020 campaign in which the Georgia product established himself as one of the top pro prospects in the SEC, Ojulari decided not to opt out and played in the Peach Bowl rather than preserve his already strong draft stock.

Doing so may have been the best decision he has ever made, as he not only showed all 32 teams that he cares about his team, he also had arguably the best game of his entire college career.

https://youtu.be/xgnIRh0-asA

The redshirt sophomore logged three sacks and forced two fumbles and a safety in Georgia’s 24-21 Peach bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats, the perfect exclamation point to cap off his short but impressive college career.

Prospect’s Strengths

Ojulari has the potential to be a pass-rushing menace at the next level. His hands are fast and powerful and he has an understanding of how to use them in order to get around lengthier offensive linemen. He is a tenacious ball of energy who never stops coming, which often makes him dangerous even if you take away his first move.

His effort reminds me of Kyle Vanden Bosch, who used to be relentless in getting after the quarterback by any means possible. Ojulari is also much more twitchier than the average pass rusher. His quickness, precision, and willingness to engage helps split the difference when dealing with offensive linemen who are much stronger and longer than he is.

Despite being underweight, Ojulari consistently displays the ability to convert his explosiveness into power, which is vital for him to have in his arsenal if he's going to survive at the next level with a lean frame.

https://youtu.be/fNvdcda79kY

Ojulari is a legitimate pass rush specialist at the moment, but even despite his inconsistencies in run defense, he’s not a liability there, either.

His Vanden Bosch-like motor, agility, and impressive hand power help him compete against bigger opponents, and he has enough in his toolbox to disengage and is athletic enough to pursue running backs anytime the rusher does get around the edge.

Ojulari also demonstrates excellent football IQ and often reads and reacts rather than guessing. He’s also consistently disciplined over the course of the game; it’s rare when he will be drawn offsides by a hard count or commit any silly penalties that can kill a team. His football IQ allows him to set offensive tackles up, saving his best rush off the edge in the biggest moments.

Prospect's weaknesses

Ojulari’s biggest question marks are his size and length, or lack thereof.

Tipping the scales at 240 pounds, he is far from the ideal size at that position. He may be limited to strictly a pass rusher until he begins to add more muscle.

There is a real worry that he may get mauled in the run game at his current playing weight, however his tape speaks otherwise — but the question is whether or not that will translate to the next level.

He is also raw in terms of an athlete; his first-step explosiveness is there but isn’t nearly consistent enough at this time. The Georgia prospect also tends to have stiffness in his hips which limits his ability to bend and get around the edge in certain situations.

Olujari’s run defense and ability to drop off in coverage are still a work in progress but you’d imagine those skill sets will drastically improve around NFL coaches who will help him maximize on the things that he does best.

Fit with the Titans

Ojulari fits the mold of what the Titans are looking to improve within the front-seven. He is a tenacious pressure player who’s effort and hand usage are his best assets.

He may not come in and be a three-down player right out the gate, but he’s shown enough promise against the run that warrants taking a chance on a pass rusher who undoubtedly has one of the highest ceilings in the entire draft class.

Ojulari would come in and immediately give Harold Landry a credible presence on the other end when getting after quarterbacks, helping to take some pressure off him.

If the Titans are able to sign another dominant interior presence in free agency such as J.J. Watt, Ojulari and Landry could have a monster impact right out the gate due to the offenses' first priority being to stop Watt and Jeffery Simmons.

Conclusion

I know the last thing many Titans fans want to see is another Georgia player being drafted in the first round after last year's debacle. However, the Titans scout the name on the front of the jersey rather than the name on the back, then your evaluation will be flawed from the very beginning.

Ojulari is nothing like the Georgia player drafted last year. He possesses a high motor and could add a lot to a defense that needs tenacious players who are willing to do anything and everything to make the play.

His size is a cause for concern, but after a few years in an NFL training program you’d have to imagine that will drastically start to improve. Passing up on someone who could dominate on third downs simply because of his size would be a mistake, especially when his technique often proves he can overcome those deficiencies.

If the Georgia prospect is available at No. 22 overall come April, the Titans would be silly not to at least consider adding a pass-rush technician such as Ojulari.

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