HEIGHT: 6’6″
WEIGHT: 285
POSITIVES
— Great size for an NFL defensive end and has long arms.
— Strong and physical at the point of attack to set the edge against the run, and he uses his length well to get extension on blocks.
— Solid at getting off blocks by shedding or using an arm-over move to escape.
— Has the strength to close the gap with tight ends.
— As a pass-rusher, he sets up his moves well by showing decent agility to stem from inside to outside leverage or vice versa.
— Solid power rusher who can be effective as the pick player in line games and win with a push-pull move.
— Has flashed decent hand-swipe and arm-over moves when his use of hands is on time.
NEGATIVES
— Sub-par get-off, lacks explosion off the line of scrimmage.
— Bullrush is negatively impacted by the sub-par get-off, high pad level out of his stance and lack of leg drive through contact.
— Inconsistent timing with his use of hands as a pass-rusher, he will allow offensive tackles to make the first significant contact.
— Has a habit of going inside and losing outside contain as a pass-rusher.
— Below-average hip and ankle flexibility to bend or corner at the top of the rush.
— Not a high-motor player, will take plays off.
NOTES
— Born Dec. 5, 2001
— A 4-star recruit in the 2020 class, per 247Sports
— Injuries: 2024 (Left ankle sprain, missed 1 game)
— Transferred from Georgia Tech ahead of the 2022 season
— 2024: Third-Team All-SEC
— 2023: First-Team All-SEC
OVERALL
Jared Ivey passes the initial eye test as he looks the part of an NFL defensive end with his impressive size. He combines that with long arms and plenty of strength to project as a quality run defender at the next level.
Ivey has little to no issues setting the edge against zone runs and gets under pullers to spill gap runs outside. Also, he’s good at getting off blocks to make tackles and is too physical and strong for offenses to leave him alone against tight ends, even on the backside of plays.
As a pass-rusher, the Ole Miss product’s best move is a push-pull as he has the strength to pull offensive linemen’s shoulders down. He can also be effective as the pick player in line games and has shown solid arm-over and hand-swipe moves. However, the latter are dependent on the timing with his hands which is still a work in progress.
Additionally, Ivey’s bend is sub-par and he has bad pass-rush lane integrity, often ducking inside and losing outside contain on quarterbacks. Because of that, he might be better suited as an interior rusher on passing downs. But his get-off and pad level will need improvement to be a more effective bull-rusher on the inside.
Overall, Ivey can at least be a good two-down player who is a starter during his rookie contract, especially as an even front defensive end. How much he’ll be able to contribute as a pass-rusher is questionable, but a team that already has a good pass-rush specialist on the edge and is willing to work with him on the interior should be intrigued by Ivey’s game.
GRADE: 7.2 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — 3rd Round)
OVERALL RANK: 86
POSITION RANK: EDGE11
PRO COMPARISON: John Franklin-Myers