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Report: Reason for Azeez Ojulari’s slide into 2nd round of 2021 NFL Draft revealed
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Azeez Ojulari’s successful career at Georgia appeared to be enough to ensure that he would be a 1st-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Despite a redshirt sophomore season that saw him record 9.5 sacks, Ojulari saw himself forced to wait until the 2nd day of the draft to hear his name called.
And the Atlanta-area native will be headed to the Big Apple as the New York Giants took him with the 50th overall pick and the 18th pick of the 2nd round. Defensive teammate Tyson Campbell was the first Dawg off the board in the 2nd round as he was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Eric Stokes was taken 29th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
But why did Ojulari drop out of the 1st round? An ACL tear in high school apparently raised some red flags, and although renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews reportedly gave him a clean bill of health in January, a number of teams didn’t feel Ojulari’s history was worth the risk despite a strong stint in Athens.
Source says Dr. James Andrews examined Ojulari’s knee in January and sent a letter to teams saying it was strong and there were no problems with it. Obviously teams did their own exams in Indy, so that could explain his slide. But some team could get a steal on Day 2.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) April 30, 2021
Ojulari will have a little of a chip on his shoulder as he begins his NFL career. We’ll see if the teams that passed on him end up rueing their decision.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
