2021 NFL Draft: New York Giants steal Azeez Ojulari in 2nd round

The New York Giants were able to trade back in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft and steal a first-round caliber player with the 51st overall pick in the draft. After selecting Florida wideout Kadarius Toney in the first round, the Giants were gifted Georgia edge rusher, Azeez Ojulari, in the mid to late second round.

Ojualri spent three years at UGA, breaking out his sophomore year and drawing the attention of scouts heading into his junior year. The edge rusher would not disappoint going on to have 8.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, 31 tackles, and two passes defended his final year at Georgia. Overall, he finished his college career with 15 sacks, five forced fumbles, 18.5 tackles for a loss, and 68 tackles (mainly over just two years).

On the field, the edge rusher wins with his blend of speed and bend. Ojulari explodes off the line and beats the offensive tackles he’s lined up against around the edge. He’s able to get low to the ground so that if the tackle does manage to match him to the edge, he is generally pretty adept at getting low to the ground and bending around the edge to disrupt the quarterback in the backfield.

He shouldn’t be asked to do much in pass coverage but won’t be a complete liability trailing running backs out of the backfield when he’s tasked with coverage responsibilities. He also does a good job of setting the edge and helping out in run defense. Make no mistake, Ojulari is primarily a speedy pass rusher but he won’t hurt his team in other areas of defense either.

Widely projected to be a first-round draft pick until the degenerative knee issues came to light, Ojualri has the talent and skills of a first-round player. There’s no doubt this is a great pick for the Giants and quite possibly the steal of the draft.