2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ole Miss DE Jared Ivey

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Ole Miss DE Jared Ivey.

#15 JARED IVEY/DE OLE MISS – 6-6, 285 lbs. (R-SENIOR)

Senior Bowl Invite

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Large, sturdy frame with good length
— Versatile athlete that can play with his hands in the dirt inside or in a two-point stance out on the edge
— Very good burst and build-up speed, moves well for his frame
— Great use of hands, makes the most of his length with long arm and other moves
— Had a wide array of pass rush moves in his tool belt, allowing him to win with speed or power
— Solid anchor in the run game
— Great short-area quickness to execute twist stunts or convert speed to power

THE BAD

— Plays with high pad level
— Doesn’t have the size to anchor against double teams
— Doesn’t string moves together very well, stalls out if his first move fails
— Questions about competitive toughness, takes some plays off
— Hasn’t mastered any one position with playing all across the line
— His frame and athleticism are versatile, but what is his best position fit?
— Pass rush moves can be out of control, giving up contain on his assignments
— Get-off at the snap is just adequate
— Lacks a consistent or true bull rush

BIO

— Originally a four-star prospect out of North Gwinnett HS in Suwanee, GA
— Just turned 23 in December
— Played two seasons at Georgia Tech before transferring to Ole Miss for his final three
— Totaled 165 combined tackles with 35 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, five passes defensed, four forced fumbles, and a fumble returned for a touchdown
— Played 72 percent of his 2024 snaps out on the edge, played much more inside in 2023
— Defensive MVP of 2023 Peach Bowl
— First-Team All-SEC in 2023 (College Football Network), Third-Team All-SEC in 2024 (Coaches)
— General business major
— Opted into 2024 bowl game despite eyes on draft
— Played high school basketball and received DI offers for multiple sports

TAPE BREAKDOWN

First, I want to establish that Ivey is fast. I expect him to test very well at either the combine or his Pro Day. He accelerates well and also has great long speed for his size. He goes unblocked on these reps, but that shows off his closing speed. Keep in mind his size.

He has a wide array of pass rush moves that he can use to win, including moves you would typically see from a player out on the edge or on the interior. This clip shows six different pass rush moves where he wins with speed, power, or a combination of the two. This clip shows a swipe-rip, a club-swim, and push-pull, and multiple variations. He has active hands and shows great burst when he finds himself a lane into the backfield.

Sometimes his moves can be on the wild side with a lack of control. He will do a swim move and end up two gaps over. That kind of movement ability can come in handy when executing twist stunts, but he can also get caught out of his gap or lose contain as a result.

In today’s NFL, with quarterbacks getting the ball out quickly to negate pass rush, defensive linemen need to be able to get their hands in passing lanes. It required awareness, vision, and timing. Ivey showed that he is capable of batting down passes. He had five total passes defensed in college, but three of those were in 2024. One of the batted passes below doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but it resulted in an interception.

His anchor in the run game can be inconsistent. At times, he will get blown off his base with high pad level and get washed off the line of scrimmage. There are other times where he shows the ability to give up zero ground against much larger offensive linemen. When he does that, he keeps a wide base, lower pad level, and uses his length to keep blockers off his body. Adding a few pounds and working on pad level could make this a real strength of his game.

When it comes to the basics of run defense, stacking and shedding blockers and making the tackle, Ivey does a great job. He takes on blockers with his length, allowing him to shed them with relative ease. His athleticism allows him to quickly close for a tackle at or near the line of scrimmage.

CONCLUSION

Ivey is one of several defensive linemen in this class that have ideal length to possibly fill the Steelers’ need at 3-4 defensive end, but might come in slightly below the ideal weight. Ole Miss had him focus on defending the edge in 2024, but he probably had a better season when he was inside in 2023. It would be unfair to label him a tweener, but the team that drafts him will have to have a plan. He would only need to add a few pounds to be ideal for the Steelers, and I think he is going to end up checking all of the boxes of what they look for.

He is versatile, has tremendous size and length, and rare speed and agility for his size. His use of hands and vast arsenal of pass rush moves should have him creating plenty of pressure at the NFL level as he can win with speed or power. If he can develop a bull rush, he is a home run as a 3-4 DE. Against the run, he shows great power in his hips and can stack and shed blockers well, but his high pad level and lack of ideal weight could give him issues against bigger O-linemen and double teams.

There are times where his mental processing seems a tad slow, and there are also plays that he will take off, especially once his initial move is shut down. Having him focus on one position should help alleviate the processing issue. He gets caught up trying to maintain contain out on the edge, so it’d be great to shift him inside where that is less of a concern.

My pro comparison for him is Malik Jackson.

Projection: Mid Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 8.3 – Future Quality Starter (2nd Round)
Games Watched: 2024 vs. Oklahoma, 2024 vs. Georgia, 2024 at Florida