The NFL trade deadline is only a few hours away, and the rumors are flooding in, with the latest surrounding a potential Azeez Ojulari trade for the Falcons.
According to Dianna Russini, the Giants’ asking price for the pass rusher is a late fourth-round pick or an early fifth-rounder, but New York is undecided at the moment.
Teams are still trying to see what the Giants are going to do with Azeez Ojulari. New York is looking for a high 5 pick or late 4th rounder, per sources.
If the Giants decide to keep him, Ojulari becomes a free agent at the end of the season. pic.twitter.com/dHfhPQey2d— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) November 5, 2024
The Falcons have a smaller war chest of draft picks compared to some other clubs, owning their first, second, fourth, and seventh-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
However, I’m not quite sure how any fan can sit here and argue that Terry Fontenot is better off keeping that fourth-rounder instead of using it in an Azeez Ojulari trade.
Atlanta’s GM has done virtually nothing substantial in the draft outside of the first round. Fontenot’s best work has come on the pro personnel side of things. Thankfully, the Falcons are expected to be aggressive at the deadline.
According to Adam Schefter, the club has been “aggressive about making pass rush calls” and is expected to pursue a trade for Ojulari, who has six sacks in nine games, which would lead the Falcons right now.
New York is 2-7 and has considerable resources tied up into Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux, so I’m not sure why they’d even entertain keeping Ojulari on an expiring deal.
What must also be taken into account is Ojulari’s production on a defensive line as talented as the Giants. Falcons fans shouldn’t expect him to come in and make the kind of impact that will drastically turn around the pass rush, but he will certainly improve it.
The goal should be to get the pass rush to a point where it’s not costing the Falcons games because it’s going to be a multi-year fix, and an Azeez Ojulari trade would be a step in the right direction.
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Photographer: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire
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