OLB Azeez Ojulari
The only member of the New York Giants’ rookie class to play all 17 games this year was Azeez Ojulari.
As Gettleman often liked to do, Ojulari was picked out of the vast talent pool that is the University of Georgia. After being given a hefty role in the defense to start his career, he didn’t disappoint.
Ojulari tallied eight sacks, which led the team and ranked 3rd amongst all rookies, behind only Micah Parsons (13) and Jaelan Phillips (8.5). He also racked up eight tackles for loss, the most on the Giants and tied for 4th in the 2021 rookie class.
Ojulari’s role for 2022 is one that’ll be dependent on a couple of things. First and foremost, the hiring of Don “Wink” Martindale and how it affects the way Ojulari is deployed will be intriguing. Secondly is who the Giants opt to add to their group of pass rushers, as Kayvon Thibodeaux said he believes he’ll be selected by the club.
Martindale will likely bring an extremely blitz-heavy defensive attack, one that could be described as organized chaos. Ojulari figures to play a huge role in that, given his position as an outside linebacker and speed is a strength of his game.
We didn’t see Ojulari drop into coverage all that often, and I don’t expect him to do so a whole lot more next season, but Martindale’s defenses are known to disguise linebackers as blitzers at the line, only to fall back in coverage at the snap. Ojulari certainly has the tools to serve in a dynamic role, but has been almost exclusively used as a pass rusher last year, there could be an adjustment period in the future.