LSU DE BJ Ojulari selected in 2023 NFL Draft
LSU defensive end BJ Ojulari was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 41st pick in the 2nd round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday. The former 4-star prospect out of Marietta, Ga. enjoyed a First Team All-SEC season in 2022.
The No. 18 jersey recipient for the Tigers, Ojulari notched 58 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble this season. Head coach Brian Kelly credited him for leading the transition for LSU that led to an SEC West Championship.
“I would say off the field he embraced the change. He embraced really the mission,” Kelly said before the SEC Championship game. “That is graduating champions, the excellence that we wanted as a standard here from day one. You need that, right? You need your best players to embrace that. Elected as a captain for us. Led both on and off the field.
“He’s been an edge play-maker for us. I think when you’re talking about excellence both on and off the field, BJ Ojulari would be that guy that we would bring up.”
Ojulari ready to make transition to NFL
Ojulari explained why his game is going to translate well to the NFL while he met with the media at the NFL Combine.
“Yeah, so in Coach [Matt] House‘s defense I played more of a Jack outside linebacker, dropping, being able to show my versatility in the drop, being able to rush as well and create plays behind the line of scrimmage,” BJ Ojulari said. “But, any defense I feel like can flourish. Whatever the coaches and the coaching staff decide I’m gonna do, I think I’m gonna be very good at it.”
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Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt broke down Ojulari’s scouting report and explained what makes him a dark horse to be one of the best rookies in the league next season.
“When you look at his career, you see first-team All-SEC last year. Good production over the past couple years. 7.0 sacks a couple of years ago, 5.5 last year,” Klatt said. “Remember, he goes through a coaching change, a defensive switch. It’s hard to be productive when you’re changing systems and BJ was. Now, can he be inconsistent against the run at times? Yes. That’s why he’s not one of the top EDGE rushers in the draft.
“But if you’re not one of the top EDGE rushers, there is still going to be value where he is selected. He is disruptive and in a passing league, when you get to third down and you get a stop to disrupt the timing of the offensive system, what do you need? Pass rushers. He can get to the QB. He can bend, he’s explosive.”
According to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, Ojulari ranked as the No. 76 overall prospect and No. 5 EDGE prospect in the country in the 2020 class.
