Chargers 2023 NFL draft target: LSU EDGE BJ Ojulari

Draft season is upon us, which means that we at Chargers Wire are hard at work breaking down the film to evaluate potential picks throughout the draft.

With a strong draft class at edge defender and tight end, Los Angeles is well-positioned to fill some holes this offseason.

Today, we’ll be looking at LSU pass rusher BJ Ojulari.

Background: Younger brother of Giants EDGE Azeez Ojulari and grandson of famous Nigerian painter, sculptor, musician, and prince Twins Seven Seven. Originally committed to Tennessee before flipping to LSU. Former coach Ed Orgeron credits a 2021 adjustment to move Ojulari 2 feet outside the tackle as a key step in maximizing the pass rusher. High school coach has called him “one of the greatest human beings I ever met in my life”. Those familiar with the family call BJ the more naturally gifted as a football player of the brothers. Awarded LSU’s prestigious #18 jersey, given to the program’s extraordinary leaders, prior to the 2022 season. 2022 team captain.

Red Flags: None

Strengths: The first thing that sticks out with Ojulari is bend: it’s probably the best hip flexion in the class, and Ojulari uses it to his advantage with a devastating shoulder dip move. What kept me interested beyond the flashiness is just how many moves Ojulari has in his toolbox. He employed a jump chop, bull rushes, a nasty rip and dip, and a spin move in the 3 games I watched. He’s a good pursuit player thanks to athleticism that also makes him look comfortable dropping into coverage.

Weaknesses: I wish some of his pass rush moves came earlier in his sequence instead of as last resort to generate late pressure, but the fact that he has them available means speeding them up will come much easier. As a run defender, I don’t know that Ojulari will ever be better than average because of his slighter size.

Final Word: Ojulari is one of my favorite players in this draft class. A toolsy athlete with rubber-band hips, he can dip under just about any offensive lineman you put in front of him. He will need to primarily be a pass rusher to start while he beefs up to NFL run defense standards, or at least as close as he can get.

Fit Likelihood: High

Grade: Late 1st

Film Highlights:

Bending around the corner to annihilate the offensive tackle immediately and land a QB hit:

BJ Ojulari (18) has some real bend and flexibility to him pic.twitter.com/nxk1HKMsNr

— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) January 23, 2023

Showing off the pass rush arsenal to get past another tackle and force a scramble:

With no Jared Verse, BJ Ojulari is my favorite pure edge pass rusher in this class. Tremendous arsenal of moves and sets his rushes up well. And he’s a freak athlete with great twitch. A little light, but I wouldn’t mind a bit in a 3-4 front.
pic.twitter.com/aCpeKxAHDm

— Jordan de Lugo (@jordandelugo) January 11, 2023

Making use of the long arm to power his way to the QB, an underrated skill of his:

BJ Ojulari (18) using a long arm technique to blow back the offensive tackle into the quarterback’s lap. pic.twitter.com/2CLeXNJ5TQ

— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) January 23, 2023