Cardinals draft EDGE BJ Ojulari with No. 41 pick

The Arizona Cardinals have drafted LSU EDGE BJ Ojulari with the No. 41 overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Scouting Report

Olujari excels when rushing in a stand-up position and can beat opposing tackles and tight ends to get ideal positioning. When getting after opposing quarterbacks attempting to move out of the pocket he possesses the ideal burst to track them in pursuit. He’ll need to make bigger strides in run support, in particular, to avoid getting blocked too easily and too often. Consistency will be key as well as he finished with just two sacks in his last eight regular season games.

Career statistics

The junior spent three seasons with the Tigers and logged 31 games as he operated largely at linebacker in his freshman year. Over the last two seasons at LSU, he transitioned to play as a defensive end though the majority of his collegiate career was spent playing off-ball with 715 snaps recorded per PFF.

In 2022, Ojulari spent equal time in pass-rush situations (329 snaps) as well as run defense formations (334 snaps) and logged nine sacks, 14 quarterback hits, and 26 hurries. After starting 11 games last season for the Tigers, Ojulari was named first-team All-SEC after recording 58 tackles, 8.5 for loss with 5.5 sacks for LSU.

How can BJ Ojulari impact the Cardinals in 2023?

Ojulari should be able to factor into the Cardinals' defensive front as a rookie. Zaven Collins is likely a starter at end, but Ojulari should be able to play his way into starting alongside him on the other side of the line. He will be competing with Jonathan Ledbetter, Myjai Sanders and LJ Collier, but should be able to win the position battle.