Myjai Sanders, a year ago, was in the same position as BJ Ojulari.
The Cardinals had drafted Sanders in the third round, like they have done with this year's second-round pick Ojulari, to bolster a pass rush that needed youth and an infusion of talent. Ojulari, along with the rest of the rookies, is taking part in their first minicamp.
The rookies didn't arrive until after noon Thursday, once the veterans had cleared out for the day. But as Sanders came off the field, dripping with sweat from Thursday's practice, he was asked what his biggest piece of advice would be to his fellow pass-rushing teammate.
"It would be to soak in as much as you can from the older guys," Sanders said. "Always be ready to learn. That's the biggest thing I could say. It might be small words, but that's the biggest, because the more you open your ears and the less you talk, the better it goes."
Ojulari, who met with the media later in the afternoon, seems to understand that. There were no bold predictions, no lavish sack goals.
"I'm not that type of guy," Ojulari said. "I really base my success off team success. I believe if I do my job and be accountable and be a great teammate, everything individually will come."
The Cardinals need pass rushers. There was a reason that, had they stayed at No. 3, many were hoping they would select Will Anderson – who indeed was selected at 3, once the Cardinals traded with Houston.
The Cardinals only had 36 sacks last season, and 18 of those came from two departed linemen: the retired J.J. Watt and the new Denver Bronco Zach Allen. Sanders and fellow third-round rookie Cam Thomas had three each.
Without knowing what will happen at the position (both Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins could get a look there), Ojulari comes in after posting 5½ sacks at LSU last season with an opportunity to be used early and often.
It's probably not a coincidence that one of the players Ojulari wants to emulate, given a similar body type, is Haason Reddick – the former Cardinal who had 16 sacks for new Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon last season in Philadelphia.
"(Ojulari) is a very natural pass rusher," defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said. "Coming off the edge with speed, he can beat you with speed but as soon as he gets overset it's not 'Oh no, what happened?' He's very fluid and natural with his counter rushes."
The first bits of advice will matter, especially from the guys who just went through the same transition.
"When you first get here I think you really try to live up to a standard of everybody else," Thomas said. "When I first got here, I watched (linebacker) Dennis Gardeck bend way below some guy's pad level and I saw that and I was like, 'Shoot, that's the standard of an NFL player.' I got it in my head.
"But I realized that's not part of my game. I will tell (Ojulari) to be himself. He knows who he is as a player. Take that and maximize that."
Ojulari – who also can get advice from older brother Azeez, a linebacker for the Giants – has been low-key. He talked about executing what the coaches give him, expressing trust in the linebacker coaches turning him into a good pass rusher.
And he's also got the older guys – like one-year veteran Sanders.
"I ain't gonna say that, but I know a lot about a little bit," Sanders said. "I know I am going to help him be the best pass rusher he can be, like Markus Golden did for me last year."
