Clay Matthews might be the most dominant and popular Green Bay Packers pass rusher of the Aaron Rodgers era. The speed that he used to rush quarterbacks, the comparisons to Marvel’s Thor, and his ability to make big plays in big moments are still remembered and held in high regards by Packers fans. Perhaps for these reasons, fans may be intrigued by pass rusher BJ Ojulari from LSU, who one Packers’ draft guide writer compares to the former six-time Pro Bowler.
Could the Green Bay Packers Draft the Next Clay Matthews?
Brian Maafi is one of the contributors to Cheesehead TV’s draft guide and a host of the Go Dads Go podcast. In addition, he is an ATB contributor and risendraft.com database editor. On Monday, Maafi retweeted some film of LSU’s BJ Ojulari, saying that the junior pass rusher reminds him some of Clay Matthews:
Reminds me some of Clay Matthews https://t.co/QSSlVZqnzJ
— Brian Maafi (@Bmaafi) April 3, 2023
Ojulari is a projected top 50 pick in the NFL Draft. Matthews, of course, was drafted 26th overall by the Packers in 2009.
The Scouting Report on BJ Ojulari
The following is an excerpt of Ojulari’s scouting report from The Draft Wire by Natalie Miller:
“A bendy and athletic pass rusher for LSU, BJ Ojulari was one of the Tiger’s most effective defenders in the last two seasons. During those two years as a starter, Ojulari has put up impressive numbers with 104 total pressures, 12.5 sacks, and 112 tackles over that span. While his sack numbers don’t jump off the screen, he was a constant threat off the edge as a run defender and pass rusher.
“BJ Ojulari is an exceptionally talented edge rusher, with a wide variety of moves to get to the quarterback, combined with elite speed and burst, he could develop into a top-level edge rusher in the NFL. He will need to work on adding more strength and weight to his core to become less of a liability in the run, as well as to become more refined as a rusher to now allow lineman to stick his momentum.
“Teams will be eager to get Ojulari on their defense even if just to use him on pass-rushing downs early to put consistent pressure on quarterbacks. He is not ready to be a full-time starter as of yet, but could develop into one of the better ones in the league with time.”
This kind of scouting report harkens back to what scouts were saying about Rashan Gary when the Packers drafted him in the first round. He was extremely athletic with the potential to be a big-time pass rusher in the NFL. However, he needed time to refine his skills. That hard work has paid off as he is expected to get a massive contract extension from Green Bay. Gary increased his sack totals in each season up until 2022 when his year was cut short by a torn ACL.
If Green Bay is willing to be patient, as they were with Gary, and if Ojulari puts in the work as Gary did, the Packers could have an elite pass rush (that also includes Kingsley Enagbare) for years to come.
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