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Arizona Cardinals LB B.J. Ojulari wants to reach double-digit sacks as a rookie. These are the players he would be joining in NFL history.
The Arizona Cardinals selected linebacker B.j. Ojulari in the second round of the 2023 draft. He is a pass rusher.
He declared the goal of wanting to get double digits in sacks as a rookie in 2023.
Only 36 players in NFL history have done that.
Below are all the players who accomplished that as a rookie, from 10 sacks to the NFL rookie record of 14.5.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Ojulari wants to be relied on to make plays on defense even as a rookie.
The Arizona Cardinals’ lone unsigned draft pick is linebacker B.J. Ojulari, selected out of LSU. The team has high hopes for the edge defender and believes he can make an impact even as a rookie.
He has lofty goals for his rookie season.
“Hopefully I can get double-digit sacks this year, just be the best player I can, learn from the vets and hopefully be a guy they really rely on, on the defense when they need big plays,” he said on the new episode of Cardinals Flight Plan. “That’s really my goal for this year.”
Ojulari had 12.5 sacks over his last two seasons for the Tigers but had a ridiculous 104 total pressures.
He joins a young core of pass rushers as Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders were third-round draft picks last year.
Ojulari has been held out of practices recently, dealing with a minor injury the Cardinals are being careful with,
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The Cardinals’ second-round pick has a minor injury and HC Jonathan Gannon says the Cardinals are “trying to do the right thing in early June.”
So far at OTAs, rookie linebacker B.J. Ojulari has been in attendance but has not been on the field practicing. As the only unsigned draft pick, it has raised questions as to whether he is holding out at all.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters on Thursday that is not the case.
Ojulari is being held out with a small injury.
“We’re just being careful with B.J. He’s got a little bit of a nick,” Gannon said. “He’s in there in the meetings and out there and he could probably go, but we’re just making sure we’re doing the right thing in early June right now.”
PHNX Sports’ Howard Balzer noted that Ojulari dealt with a hamstring injury before the draft.
That being extra careful might have everything to do with the fact that he is not signed yet.
Second-round picks are sometimes the last to sign because how much of their contract is guaranteed is up for negotiation.
The Cardinals’ last two picks in the second round, receiver Rondale Moore and tight end Trey McBride, had two years of salary fully guaranteed. Their 2019 second-round pick, cornerback Byron Murphy, now with the Minnesota Vikings, had three years of fully guaranteed salary.
But if Ojulari has a minor injury, now is the time to make sure that he gets fully healed.
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Only seven second-round picks have inked their rookie deals.
The Arizona Cardinals have signed eight of their nine draft picks. The only one left to sign is second-round pick B.J. Ojulari, a linebacker.
While it is not necessarily concerning at this point, it is a trend around the league.
There are more unsigned second-round picks than first-round picks.
Here are the numbers, noted by Howard Balzer for PHNX.
As of Thursday, 17 of 31 first-round picks (54.8%) were under contract. Only seven of 32 (21.9%) of second-rounders are signed.
Why?
Guaranteed money.
First-round picks get fully guaranteed contracts.
Second-round picks often get guarantees but it has to be negotiated.
Last year’s second-round pick, tight end Trey McBride, has a fully guaranteed salary for each of his first two seasons. Receiver Rondale Moore, the team’s second-round pick in 2021, got the first two years of his contract fully guaranteed. Byron Murphy, the team’s 2019 second-round pick, had three years fully guaranteed, although he was the first pick of the second round.
How many guaranteed years is Ojulari’s agent seeking?
The contract will get done soon. Hopefully it will while the team is in OTAs. He observed practice this week being unsigned. Getting on-field reps will be critical because he is a rookie, so sooner will be better than later.
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The Cardinals have a young team. These rookies have at least a reasonable shot at being in the starting lineup.
The Arizona Cardinals have 20 rookies on their roster. They drafted nine players and have 11 undrafted rookies they added since the draft.
Many will be lucky to make the team. Some should have contributing roles.
Some have a real shot at being starters.
Which rookies are those?
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Cardinals DC Nick Rallis detailed what he likes about the team’s second-round selection.
The Arizona Cardinals’ second-round selection in the 2023 NFL draft was LSU edge defender B.J. Ojulari. After he was selected, general manager Monti Ossenfort raved about his football character.
However, there is more to Ojulari than just being a good, hard-working guy.
The Cardinals like what he offers with his defensive skillset.
“As far as on the field ability-wise, I love what Ojulari can do in the pass and run game,” defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said of Ojulari last week on Tuesday. “He’s a very versatile player. I think he’s a very natural pass rusher, and you can see his bend. I think coming off the edge with speed, he can beat you with speed but as soon as he gets overset it’s not, ‘Oh no, what happened?’ He’s very fluid and natural with his counter rushes, and then on top of that he can stick a long arm in there and work moves off his long arms.
“As far as his rush ability, he’s very versatile and very natural. There is a bit of— how natural is this guy rushing off the edge? He’s very natural.”
In three seasons at LSU, he had 16.5 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss, He had 104 total pressures in his two years as a starter.
Rallis also likes what Ohulari offers in the run game.
“I love the tools that he has in the run game as far as being able to set some violent edges and collapse the edge,” he said.
We will see what position he actually plays for the Cardinals, as we still do not know what the base front will look like quite yet.
Arizona needs production from the edge with the pass rush. With Ojulari, adding him to the duo of Cam Thomas and Myjai Sanders, entering their second season.
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Ojulari isn’t a bad pick but the Cardinals potentially could have gotten better players at other positions.
The Arizona Cardinals made LSU pass rusher B.J. Ojulari their second-round selection. He is a slightly undersized edge rusher with long arms and explosive athleticism.
What initial grade do the Cardinals deserve for this pick?
Ojulari didn’t have huge statistical production in terms of sacks or tackles for loss at LSU. He combined for 12.5 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons.
He has good athletic traits and great length for his size and good bend off the edge. He also plays with an unrelenting motor, which is why he was second in total pressures in college football since 2020 only to Will Anderson.
Is he the best pick there?
Some might like Keion White more, who is bigger and longer with good athleticism. However, Ojulari is barely 21 years old, while White will be 25 as a rookie.
Where the Cardinals drafted in Round 2, there were a number of what many would consider better cornerbacks than Ojulari is as a pass rusher.
Another big team need — center — could have been addressed as well with Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz.
Overall, it is a solid pick but not necessarily the pick I would have gone with.
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Vote in the poll to grade the Cardinals’ selection of EDGE B.J. Ojulari in the second round.
The Arizona Cardinals added a pass rusher with their second-round pick on Friday. After trading back from the 33rd overall pick to No. 41, they selected LSU pass rusher B.J. Ojulari.
Ojulari, the younger brother of New York Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari, played three seasons for LSU.
In three seasons, he had 128 total tackles, 16.5 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss.
He added even more total pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, Ojulari’s 126 total quarterback pressures since 2020 were second only to Alabama’s Will Anderson, the third overall pick in the draft.
He is short for the position at 6-foot-2 but has long arms (a nearly 82-inch wingspan). He is athletic.
He fills a critical need on the roster.
What do you think of the selection? Vote in the poll and comment to give your thoughts.
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The Cardinals selected LSU pass rusher B.J. Ojulari in the second round of the NFL draft with the 41st overall pick.
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The Arizona Cardinals have added defensive help. Using the 41st overall pick in the draft, they selected LSU edge defender B.J. Ojulari.
Ojulari is 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, had 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in 2022. He had seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 2021.
He has extremely long arms for his size — 34 1/4-inch arms and a wingspan of nearly 82 inches.
He ran the 40 at his pro day in 4.59 seconds and his broad jump was 126 inches.
He plays with a relentless motor.
He projects as a likely defensive end in the Cardinals’ new defense.
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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
With just two days until the start of the NFL Draft, @MattAnderson_8 gives his best prediction as to what will happen in round one.
At Vikings Wire, we have been compiling multiple mock drafts throughout the offseason to explore various scenarios for how the NFL Draft may unfold. However, as the NFL draft approaches in just a few days, it is now time for us to make our actual predictions.
Surprises typically always happen during the draft. Either a player drops unexpectedly or a team reaches early for a prospect.
Here is my prediction for what happens on draft night.
