Though not as commonly talked about as some of the other young NFL stars, former Georgia Bulldogs pass rusher Azeez Ojulari put together a great rookie season with the New York Giants in 2021.
He was overshadowed by Najee Harris, Ja’Marr Chase, Micah Parsons, Kyle Pitts, Jaylen Waddle, Patrick Surtain and Mac Jones, and NFL.com ranked Ojulari as the 24th best rookie at the end of the regular season.
Ojulari was taken in the second round of last year’s draft after dominating SEC offensive tackles at UGA.
Right away he made a difference, becoming the first Giants player to record a sack in each of his first three games with the franchise. He finished the season with 8 sacks, which set an all-time Giants record for sacks by a rookie.
Azeez Ojulari
NFL games played: 1.25
Sacks: 2 #DawgsInTheNFL pic.twitter.com/fksf8FCuUv— J.C. Shelton (@jc_shelton_) September 17, 2021
Azeez Ojulari with a strip sack on Matt Ryan
NFL games played: 3
Sacks: 3 #DawgsInTheNFL pic.twitter.com/RwAFInorAN— J.C. Shelton (@jc_shelton_) September 26, 2021
Through 9 games, Giants rookie Azeez Ojulari has 5.5 sacks, 6 TFL & 7 QB hits.
For rookies, he's 1st in sacks, 3rd in TFL, & 4th in QB hits pic.twitter.com/XSP8KoicWt
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) November 11, 2021
The New York Giants YouTube channel posted a video breaking down Ojulari’s rookie year. Bob Papa and two-time Super Bowl champion Carl Banks break down Ojulari’s film here.