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Georgia alum Andrew Thomas: NY Giants’ Azeez Ojulari ‘has all the intangibles’

By Matt Lombardo

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 01: Desmond Ritter #9 of the Cincinnati Bearcats passes against Azeez Ojulari #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs during Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham /Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 01: Desmond Ritter #9 of the Cincinnati Bearcats passes against Azeez Ojulari #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs during Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham /Getty Images) /
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NY Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas knows a thing or two about Azeez Ojulari.

The offensive tackle chosen by the NY Giants with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, had some grueling and competitive battles on the practice fields at Georgia with Ojulari, the edge rusher chosen by New York in the second-round of last week’s draft.

Thomas says Ojulari always impressed him because of how complete and versatile an edge rusher he is.

"“I think he has all the intangibles,” Thomas told the Giants. “He’s fast, he’s strong, has good weight, but personally the thing that I feel like makes him different from other guys is his heart and how he plays the game. He’ll run through a brick wall for his teammates. That’s how he plays the game.”"

Ojulari’s high motor led to high production in Athens, where he produced nine sacks in 10 games last season, along with 28 additional pressures. Pro Football Focus gave Ojulari a 90 overall grade in 2020.

Shortly after Ojulari’s name was called as the NY Giants’ selection with the No. 50 overall pick in the second-round of the NFL Draft, he was hailed by evaluators and executives as an ideal fit for coordinator Patrick Graham’s system and one of the sleeper picks of the entire weekend.

“I like him quite a bit,” a rival NFC personnel executive told GMenHQ, on the condition of anonymity to be able to speak freely about the Giants’ incoming rookie. “Good production against the quarterback in college, has a good motor, and he’s a damn good athlete.”

Thomas notes that he saw that upside every day in practice, and rivals are about to, as well.

"“I’ve never seen a D-end take on a counter like him,” Thomas said. “We had [OL] Solomon Kindley and Sol loved pulling, and Azeez everyday looked forward to it. You don’t see that much from outside linebackers. A lot of times, they just want to rush the passer and do things like that, but Azeez doesn’t care about the glory. He just works hard, so I think that’s what separates him.”"

Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL

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