Defense has been a hallmark for the Giants in their 100-year history, and the organization hoped Azeez Ojulari would continue the trend of dominant defenders when they drafted him in 2021. But some tough luck has hampered his young career.
Ojulari was selected in the second round (50th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Georgia by then-GM Dave Gettleman. The linebacker had a promising rookie season, collecting eight sacks -- a Giants rookie record -- to go along with 49 tackles (29 solo) and 13 QB hits in 17 games. Ojulari was set to have a repeat performance in his sophomore season but an injury forced him on IR and he played just seven games. He did sack the QB 5.5 times made 14 tackles, and came up with his first fumble recovery.
Injuries became a common trend with Ojulari over the next two years, and he suffered a season-ending foot injury that knocked him out of the final six games of this past season. That was bad timing for someone who is heading into free agency while the Giants are in the midst of a rebuild after a dreadful 3-14 season.
Should the Giants look to bring back their young linebacker back?
WHY OJULARI SHOULD BE BACK
At just 24 years old, Ojulari still has a lot of mileage and has proven he can be productive when healthy. In 2024, the Giants used Ojulari as a rotational pass-rusher and it seemingly benefitted him. He sacked the QB six times, picked up seven tackles for loss, 10 QB hits and 28 combined tackles (12 solo) in 392 snaps across 11 games (five starts).
If the Giants were to bring Ojulari back, it will be his third season under Brian Daboll and he'll play alongside Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux as the main pass-rushers. Knowing the defensive schemes and being familiar with your teammates can only benefit Ojulari and his production. You can never have enough pass-rushers on your roster especially if an injury occurs, as we saw with Thibodeaux.
Don't forget that Ojulari had a stretch where he picked up five sacks during a three-game stretch in October when Thibodeaux went down.
Ojulari's attitude is also a positive. He took to his reduced role after the Burns trade in stride and looked at it as an opportunity to learn from the veteran. He's been a great locker room guy and embraced his time with the Giants.
