Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In the days leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, WGR will provide profiles on some players that could be a good fit for the Buffalo Bills at positions of need.
As we continue to focus on defensive ends, this profile will feature Jared Ivey, who has been regarded as a terrific athlete.
You will read about Ivey’s football accomplishments here, but keep in mind, when Ivey was coming out of high school in Suwanee, Georgia, he received a number of scholarship offers to play Division I basketball.
But the four-star prospect chose football, and stayed in his home state when he selected Georgia Tech for his college football home.
Ivey spent two years and 20 games with the Yellow Jackets before transferring to Ole Miss, where his career took a big upward turn.
In 2023, Ivey was named Peach Bowl defensive MVP, and this past season, he earned Third-Team All-SEC honors.
In three years with the Rebels, the 6-foot-6, 274-pound Ivey had 125 total tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 17 quarterback hurries, five fumble recoveries and four pass break ups. His 16 career sacks is ninth all-time in Ole Miss’ program history.
Ivey, who has an 82 ¾-inch wingspan, was part of an Ole Miss run defense that was ranked No. 1 in the country. The defense also set a school single-season record for sacks. Ivey totaled more than 2,300 snaps in his college career, and spent time at every position along the defensive line.
Here is what Joe Marino from the “Locked on Bills” and “Locked on NFL Scouting” podcasts has to say about Ivey:
Positives:
I know it's boring to say this, but Ivey is just a good football player, and he's got such a great feel.
He's extremely smart, knows how to beat blocks, knows how to find the football and takes terrific angles. There's a no how when it comes to the way he executes and he's very versatile.
You saw him at Ole Miss rushing from a three-point stance, from a two-point stance, rushing on the inside. He's been deployed in a number of different ways, and that versatility is really exciting.
Ivey is also a very disciplined player. He knows how to stay in his rush lanes, and he's not going to get rooted out of his run fits. He's just a very smart player that's a technician with high-end football instincts to go along with heavy hands and pretty good length.
Concerns:
Just not super explosive. There's a lot of athleticism that you wish was present for the type of player he is, especially given the versatility that he showed in college.
Ivey is a bit of a segmented rusher, meaning that there's rigidity in the way that he rushes, because he is kind of tightly wound throughout his frame. He can play a little bit tall, and that takes away from his power at the point of attack.
He's a smart, technical and powerful player, but he does have some athletic restrictions that kind of limits his overall ceiling.
WGR will provide full coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft during all seven rounds, starting Thursday, April 24 and continuing through Saturday, April 26.
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