(Photo: 247Sports)
The 2025 NFL offseason is in full swing as teams across the league continue to sign free agents and in the process, shore up rosters ahead of April's NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears have been very active all offseason, adding established veterans to a roster that includes young players with high upside.
Next steps for general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson include figuring out what to do with the Bears four draft picks inside the top-75. After spending big money on edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency, the Bears could still turn to the NFL Draft to add another pass rusher to the mix.
One name that's becoming an intriguing possibility is Ole Miss edge rusher Jared Ivey, who possesses intriguing traits and a frame that fits the mold the Bears covet in edge rushers.
Let's get into our scouting report for Ivey.
Jared Ivey, Ole Miss, (6-foot-6, 274 pounds)
From his NFL.com draft profile via Lance Zierlien:
"Despite consecutive seasons of production in opponents' backfields, Ivey's strengths and weaknesses converge for a feast-or-famine playing style. His rush is segmented and leggy with average short-area closing burst for an edge rusher. He lacks anchor and contact balance to command the point. On the other hand, Ivey is surprisingly slippery, using his stride, length and upper-body swivel to shapeshift and circumvent blocks. He needs to play with a little more edge but has enough disruption potential to become a rotational 4-3 defensive end with sub-rush potential inside."
Film:
Strengths:
- Measurables (33.5-inch arms and 9-inch hands) make him an intriguing fit for teams that value lengthier edge rushers.
- Leaves Ole Miss with 28 tackles for loss and 16.0 sacks over the last three seasons.
- Has some nice plays on film as a run defender.
- Quickness and burst jump out on tape as a player who can get into the backfield.
- Versatility is evident on tape as a guy who can play both inside and outside. The ability to align all over the defensive line will make Ivey a valuable contributor for any defense.
- Understands how to use his long arms to get into the backfield and blow up big run plays.
Weaknesses:
- Pad level seems to be very high at times.
- He needs to get faster at changing his direction ability.
- Has issues shedding blocks at times, which can hinder his ability to really take his game to the next level as a defender.
- Stiff lower body which slows him down as the game goes on.
Final Thoughts:
Ivey possesses some intriguing traits and athleticism, making him a very high upside prospect who could become a solid player at the next level. But his pad level and lack of lower body flexibility make him a player who will need to spend at least one or two seasons as a rotational player before he realizes his full potential.
For many teams across the league, he does make sense as a day two pick. For a team like the Bears that has invested heavily in edge rusher this offseason, he could end up being the type of player who could thrive in a rotation, buying him time to realize his full potential.
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