Azeez Ojulari

Originally a 2nd-round (50th pick overall) draft choice by the Giants in 2021.

TRANSACTIONS:

• Originally a 2nd-round (50th pick overall) draft choice by the Giants in 2021.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

• As a rookie in 2021, played in all 17 games with 13 starts…Finished the season with 49 tackles (29 solo), 8.0 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, 8 tackles for loss, 2 passes defensed and one forced fumble.
• Led the Giants with a franchise rookie record 8.0 sacks and paced the team with 13 quarterback hits… He was the first rookie to lead the team since sacks became an official statistic in 1982…Dallas' Micah Parsons (13.0) was the only other rookie to top his team his sacks last season…Ojulari finished 3rd among NFL rookies in sacks, 4th in quarterback hits and tied for 4th in tackles for loss (8)…Tied for the 6th most sacks by a player 21 or younger in NFL history.

Most Sacks by Rookies, Giants History

Player, Year                           Sacks

1. Azeez Ojulari, 2021           8.0

2. B.J. Hill, 2018                     5.5

T3. Cornelius Griffin, 2000    5.0

T3. Andy Headen, 1983         5.0

           *Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor had 9.5 sacks as a rookie in 1981, the year before they became an official statistic.

• Made his NFL debut vs. Denver (9/12) and sacked Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for a 3-yard loss…Started his first NFL game at Washington (9/16) and sacked quarterback Taylor Heinicke for a 16-yard loss, tied for the second-longest sack by a Giant since 1994…Strip-sacked Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan with 14 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter vs. Atlanta (9/26)…Also added 3 tackles (one solo) in the contest.
• Ojulari was the only rookie in the NFL with at least 1.0 sack in each of his first 3 games and the 5th rookie since 2000 with at least 1.0 sack in each of his first 3 career games. The others were Baltimore's Terrell Suggs in 2003, Oakland's Tommy Kelly in 2004, and Cleveland's Barkevious Mingo in 2013 and Myles Garrett in 2017.
• Tallied 5 tackles (3 solo), 2.5 sacks, 4 quarterback hits and 3 tackles for loss vs. Carolina (10/24)…His 4 quarterback hits and 3 tackles for loss were the most by a Giants rookie, while his 2.5 sacks were the 2nd-most in a game since 1982 (B.J. Hill had 3.0 on Dec. 2, 2018)…Posted 5.5 sacks through the first 7 games of a season, which were the most by a Giant since Jason Pierre-Paul (8.5) and Osi Umenyiora (6.0) in 2011.

Most Sacks in a Game by a Rookie, Giants History

Player                         Date                Opp.   Sacks

1. B.J. Hill                  12/2/18           CHI    3.0

2. Azeez Ojulari        10/24/21         CAR  2.5

T3. 10 Times                                               2.0

Most QB Hits in a Game by a Rookie, Giants History

Player                         Date                Opp.   QB Hits

1. Azeez Ojulari        10/24/21         CAR       4

T2. Three Times                                                 3

• Posted 2 tackles and one tackle for loss at Kansas City (11/1)…Recorded 2 tackles and his first career pass defensed vs. Las Vegas (11/7)…Set the Giants rookie sack record when he tackled quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for a 9-yard loss at Miami (12/5)…Tallied a sack in the 2nd straight game when he took down quarterback Justin Herbert for a one-yard loss at the Chargers (12/12)…Produced 4 tackles (2 solo), a half-sack and one quarterback hit vs. Dallas (12/19)…Posted his 3rd game with multiple quarterback hits when he had 2 vs. Washington (1/9) in the season finale.

COLLEGE:

• Ojulari played in 27 games with 23 starts in 3 seasons at Georgia…His totals included 71 tackles (41 solo), 19.5 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed…As a redshirt sophomore in 2020, Ojulari started all 10 games…Semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive player...Voted All-SEC 2nd Team by the league's head coaches and the AP…Finished with 31 tackles (22 solo)…Led the SEC with 12.5 stops for loss, 8.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles…Had 6.5 sacks in the final 6 games…His 35 quarterback pressures were 11 more than any of his teammates had...Defensive MVP of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, where he had 4 solo tackles in the Bulldogs' win vs. Cincinnati, including a career-best 3.0 sacks…In 2019, played in 14 games with 13 starts…Finished with a career-high 36 tackles (16 solo), including 6 tackles for loss and team-high totals of 5.5 sacks and 34 quarterback pressures…In 2018, redshirted and played in three games…Had one tackle for loss vs. Middle Tennessee State in his first collegiate action.

OFF-THE-FIELD ACTIVITY:

• Partnered with the NYPD-led Far Rockaway Giants and New York City Police Foundation, during the 2021 season to expand the Far Rockaway Giants into Harlem... Hosted a private screening of the movie "American Underdog" for children and families in New York City.

PERSONAL:

• Name is pronounced (ah-ZEEZ) (Oju-LAHR-ee)…Named to the 2020 SEC Community Service Team…Son of Nigerian immigrants…Born in Austell, Ga., Ojulari began playing football at age 9…Lettered in football and basketball at Marietta (Ga.) High School, spending four varsity seasons as a pass rusher and tight end…As a senior in 2017, led Marietta to the semifinals of the 7A state playoffs and contributed 118 tackles, 31.0 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks before suffering a torn ACL in November…In his junior season, recorded 103 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks…His maternal grandfather (Prince Twins Seven-Seven) was a Nigerian prince (descendent of an Ibadan king) and accomplished African artist, who passed away in 2011…Mother (Bolanle) and father (Monsuru) are Nigerian natives who met in the mid-1990s after moving to Philadelphia, married and settled down in the Atlanta area…Younger brother BJ is a pass rusher at LSU.