Azeez Ojulari – DE/OLB (Georgia)
Heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, the Vikings wanted to fix their offensive line and improve their pass rush. They definitely did the first part with the selection of Christian Darrisaw on Thursday and they will look to fill that need for a pass rusher on Day 2.
One player who many assumed would go in the first round was Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari. But after the first 32 picks were made on Thursday night, he is still available.
Ojulari boasts an explosive first step and he closes in on quarterbacks very quickly. He had 15 career sacks at Georgia with 18.5 tackles for a loss. He’s a quick-twitch, explosive type of player and definitely someone who could improve Minnesota’s pass rush.
Ojulari isn’t an ideal fit for the Vikings’ scheme as he’s 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, which puts him square in that tweener mold.
But if they drafted him, Minnesota could play him with his hand in the dirt or stand him up as a blitzing outside linebacker. With Mike Zimmer wanting to get more creative with his defense, this would seem to be an attractive trait for a player to have.
While Ojulari has all the physical tools to be successful in the league, he was flagged with a degenerative lower leg condition before the draft, and this is likely the reason why he’s still on the board.
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Ojulari is a guy who could fall well into the third round if teams are truly scared off by his leg injury. The Vikings currently have plenty of picks to take the gamble and add this dangerous edge rusher to their defense.