B.J. Ojulari

	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	B.J. Ojulari	LSU	Junior
2	Report in Blog Format:	https://camalytics.blogspot.com/2023/01/2023-nfl-draft-bj-ojulari-lsu-edge-rush.html
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4	Positional Rank:	Grade:	Height:	Weight:	2022 Pass Rush Win Rate:	2022 Run-Stop Rate:
5	6	Late First	6'3"	249	18.00%	4.50%
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7	Career Stats:	Tackles	Assisted Tackles	Sacks	Tackles for Loss	Hurries
8	2022	34	24	5.5	8.5	26
9	2021	31	23	7	12	33
10	2020	12	4	4	5	17
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12	Overview:
13	Strengths:	Notes:
14	Straight-Line Burst	From a staggered two point stance, he is insane off the line with timing, drive, and linear speed. His first step power is elite when his footwork is clean. He just has to work on his footwork at the line.
15	Length	Ojulari knows how to use his 34.5" arms to his advantage in the pass rush.
16	Fluidity	His body control in one-on-one situations is excellent. Ojulari can dip and spin very smoothly. He knows how to use his body with length, lean, and suddenness to his advantage, making him a natural edge rusher.
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18	Weaknesses:	Notes:
19	Bend on Outside	His quick dips and upper body movements give the illusion of good bend, but he does not often get his body at an acute angle to finish the move. This results in him flying by the pocket, or trying to cut inside when ever he does not win cleanly within his first three steps.
20	Lateral Quickness	Again, his burst and pursuit skills allude to lateral quickness, but he is not effective when required to change direction. His hips rise, and his footwork suffers because of it. When he displaces any reasonable amount of ground laterally, especially to his left, his first step to accelerate again is typically rather weak. While he is an effective speed rusher off the edge, he is more of a bullet with upper body quickness as opposed to the lower body quickness that is seen more often from edge rushers.
21	Footwork	Almost every single play has an instance of inefficient footwork. It makes his lateral movements suffer, and slows down his release.
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23	Film:
24	Game:	Takeaways:
25	Georgia (12/03/2022)	Good motor on run defense. Great burst off line, but appeared to push most power off of back foot. No distinct pass rush move, but quick hands and strong motor. Effective arm-over second move. Stayed with tight end. Slowed by PA. Elite upper body quickness. Still powering off of back foot. False step. Quick dip. Penetration with speed rip in run game. False step. Patient in run game. Strong hands in tackle. Great TFL. Quick relentless hands. Appears to have very long arms that he uses well. First off the line despite mini false step. Bull looks clean, but lacks strength. Held up again on run play with no real attempt to penetrate. False step. Uses length extremely well to draw pressure. Decent bend around outside for QB hit, despite the fall. Maniac off the outside. Slip is so effective this game. Impressive motor in pass rush. Lines up feet parallel more frequently than he probably should. Good angle in run defense, but no sense off urgency. Excellent open field speed. Redirected in run game. Tackled half back from behind. Comfortable backpedaling off line into zone. Keeps hips low and square. Slower lateral burst. Uses length to get off blocks. Doubled. Got off block for tackle, but got dragged and let go. False step. Tried to be patient, but got bullied in run game. Quick and effective push-pull. Driven back in run game.
26	Alabama (11/05/2022)	Tall and unnatural on hip pivot in open field. False step. Got off block to run down Gibbs. Quick hands. Slow out of parallel stance. False step. Uses length well. Quick upper body movements. Needs to learn how to bend around the outside better. Frequently tries to cut or spin back inside, which takes too long on the majority of plays. Stunt needed time to ramp up after lateral step. First off line, but still deriving most power from back foot. Length on bull is incredible, but needs more strength if he wants to maintain contact with a tackle that much bigger than he is. Good patience again in TFL to assess the read-option. Bullied the running back. That is great to see from a high caliber prospect that others should be able to do more often. Could work on footwork in stunt. Good upper body fluidity. Hips tend to pop up after first move, limiting efficiency in COD. Decent speed to power. No pass rush plan. With his length and upper body quickness, getting comfortable bending around the outside would do wonders to his game. Drops back quickly. Poor line control in run game. Good motor. Great chop to penetrate short to go from outside. Completely locked up in run game. So much more explosive from staggered two point stance. Never puts his hand in the dirt. Quick spin to penetrate pocket inside. Has wide variety of pass rush moves. False step and powered of back foot, but more bend still would have resulted in a sack. Too rounded on stunt. Effective push-pull if he grabs harder. Disciplined in his zone. Does not displace enough on spin to warrant using it so frequently. Potentially useful for setting up fake spins, but has yet to attempt one. Powered off back foot almost entirely that time. Lined up inside tackle in two point stance for stunt. False step on consecutive reps. Definitely right leg dominant. Burst with right leg in front was significantly stronger. Weak deceleration due to lack of hip fluidity, as seen on his stunts and lateral moves. Quick arms. Got off block to assist in goal line stop.
27	Ole Miss (10/22/2022)	False steps. Does not get push in run game. Drop step. Plugged hole in run game despite not making a play. Power off back leg. Needs more power with stunt from first step after cut. Powers off back leg, leading to interesting pass rush move. Great lateral displacement, but lesser agility. Upper body dips and slips are outstanding. Stayed with his man deep downfield. Not great coverage, but very good for his position. Understands coverage. First off the line with tremendous first step power from the right side, which is expected when his right foot is in front foot and he propels off of it. Good closing speed. Best bull rush yet across three games observed. Kept hands violent and used length effectively. Lost balance at the end of the rep. Motor in run game seems lacking. Doubled again. Change of speed through pass rush. Push off back foot into inefficient stunt, just as expected from Ojulari. Good motor in pass rush. Not much of a pad level issue until proceeding moves, but could be improved on initial rush at times. Good use of length. Locked up on pass rush, which is not seen too frequently. Got obliterated by double team on an obvious penalty. Good upper body dips. Wins cleanly against guard. Incredible straight line burst. Quick hands. Another beautiful pass rush. Great motor, use of hands, and spin move after the initial burst. Insane power on first step when his footwork is clean. Good length on bull, but playing a bit high.
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29	Alignment
30	A-Gap	No.
31	B-Gap	Lined up one snap on the season that could be considered between B-gap and over tackle, and he was still in a two point stance for a stunt. He will never be a defensive tackle.
32	4/5-Tech	Ojulari does not line up with his hand in the dirt, and will likely play edge.
33	Edge	This is where Ojulari will play. He is explosive off the edge with an array of pass rush moves from a staggered two-point stance. He also understands how to play shallow zone, and is just a more complete and better overall prospect from the edge.
34	Off-Ball	Will not play off-ball
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36
37	Attributes (at a glance):		Grade / 10:	Notes:
38	Attributes	Bend	6.5	His upper body quickness and movements are excellent which give the illusion of having good bend, but his full body bend needs some work. When he angles too acutely, he occasionally ends up on the ground. If he can work on bending around the tackle with his burst and length, then he will be absolutely killer from the outside.
39		Burst	9	Ojulari is a bullet off the edge from a staggered two point stance, but he could be so much better than he currently is. He favors his right leg, and often lines up to where he powers primarily off of his back leg. His tape is riddled with drop steps and false steps, slowing down his release time as well. If he cleans this up, as he should be able to, then this grade could easily be a 10/10. His release from a parallel two point stance is significantly slower.
40		Motor	9	In pass rush, he is relentless and can remain strong and quick throughout the duration of a play. A bit more effort to penetrate in run defense would put this as a 10/10.
41	Skillset	Pass Rush	9	He has the burst-speed-length combination to win from a two-point stance. He has excellent upper body quickness, and a couple of quite refined pass rush moves. His average lateral agility and strength, along with a lack of success inside or over tackle are holding this grade back. If he burst off of his front foot and fixed some footwork issues at the snap, he could easily be one of the best pass rushers in class as it stands.
42		Run Defense	5.5	While he does not appear on tape as bad in the run game as a 4.5% run-stop rate would suggest, this is still likely his biggest weakness. He is not immune to getting locked up, and fails to gain penetration on slants. He may improve with coaching and more effort, but he occasionally will not even attempt to get through to the half back. If he is not squared when getting off of blocks, his tackling becomes a bit weaker as well. Ojulari can become a better run defender than he is currently, but likely will never excel in this area.
43		Coverage	7	He actually understands how to play shallow zone. His open field movement skills are subpar, but he is effective for an edge rusher.
44	Hands	Placement	8.5	He typically has very good hand placement. He could do better at getting one hand to the chest of the tackle when he takes the outside, but otherwise he usually knows what to do with his hands on any given move. Consistently doing so will help him as a pass rusher.
45		Effectiveness	7.5	Hands help him on most of his moves, but they could improve. Stronger grip on his push-pulls and rips would help, and learning how to better use his hands to leverage lineman in the run game will be necessary if he is to become an every down player.
46		Quickness	8	Fast overall, but lacks the punch of guys like Jared Verse and the insane quickness of guys like Will Anderson in class. His hands get to where he wants them in a hurry, but he is not elite in this category.
47	Line Control	Strength	6.5	He does not win against tackles in short to go run situations. A bit more strength and control at the line would help him significantly in the run game. Has decent speed to power, but not raw strength. Turning 21 the month of the draft, he has plenty of time to gain strength early in his career.
48	Line Control	Balance	6.5	Decent balance at the line, but can get pushed too easily by run blockers in their desired direction. Maintaining balance on outside moves will also help with pass rush.
49	Pass-Rush Decisions	Versatility	8.5	Assuming he is pass rushing exclusively from the edge, he has a wide variety of effective pass rush moves when cutting both inside and outside. Rips, arm-overs, clubs, dips, spins, chops, bullrushes, push-pulls, you name it, he has succeeded with it on tape at some point or another. This only is an 8.5 because he typically wins from a staggered two point stance outside of the tackle, but lacks effectiveness when feet are parallel or he lines up more inside.
50		Technique	8	Decent overall pass rush technique with a diverse set of moves, but could refine each of them a bit more. Stronger hands and a distinct pass rush plan would help initially, but he could use a bit of assistance on timing as well.
51		Execution	8	18% pass rush win rate in 2018 is very good, but not great. Improving consistency to have more of his high end reps each game should catapult his numbers.
52	Traits	Agility	6	Agility is a work in progress, but he lacks the change of direction skills to have effective burst into or out of lateral movement. His dips and spins are smooth, but his stunts would be much most effective with better burst when changing direction.
53		Athleticism	8	While a stand-alone great athlete, he does not stand out in a class filled with this many high caliber athletes from the edge. His slower lateral movements for a speed rusher inhibit this grade from going too much higher.
54		Length	9.5	34.5" arms that he uses well.
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56	Final Scouting Report:
57	Ojulari has the combination of bust, length, and pass rush moves off the edge that is enticing to everyone. He uses his long arms well to perform a variety of rips, chops, push-pulls, bullrushes, and really anything he can think of from the outside. He can win from the edge when cutting both outside and inside the tackle, and his upper body quickness makes it hard to get a firm grip on him. His first step power is elite, but could be significantly better if he cleaned up some specific weaknesses in his game. He clearly favors his right side regardless of which foot he lines up in front. He exacerbates the issue with frequent false steps and drop steps. Even with this issue, his get-off is excellent. It could be one of the best in the game if he cleans up his footwork. He also is more of a bullet from the outside, and does not have much lateral quickness despite his rapid upper body movements. He has a propensity to go by the pocket on the outside too often without bending as well, which often leads to him needing to use lateral moves to get back inside. His motor is excellent, but his effectiveness on second moves is less effective with worse agility and strength than initial burst and speed to power. There is no problem taking him in the mid first if a team needs an explosive edge rusher, but he is limited to exactly that. His run defense leaves a lot to be desired, and he will likely not be an every down defensive end. Ojulari will excel from the edge as a pass rusher, and the young player could easily develop into something more. A grade of a late first takes into account his strengths at the position, while understanding that he is not entering the NFL as a complete every down player. He has the tools to improve quickly, but there are too many talented edge rushers in this class to guarantee that he ends up going in the first.
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59	Projections:
60	Likely	Ojulari will go in the late first or early second round, and become a good pass rusher from the edge.
61	Optimal	If Ojulari cleans up his footwork at the line, then he could become one of the better speed rushers in the NFL.
62	Pro Comparison	Jerry Hughes. Ojulari has the length and speed advantage, but also sloppier footwork and less overall strength coming out.
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