Jerrion Ealy Scouting Report: 2022 NFL Draft Prospect Report
Jerrion Ealy Ole Miss Running Back #9
Measurements
5’9” / 185 lbs.
40 Time: 4.48 coming out of high school
Achievements
- 2nd Team All SEC in 2019 and 2020
- Member of the Rebels’ Baseball Team
Jerrion Ealy Player Profile
Ole Miss RB Jerrion Ealy
Jerrion Ealy is a former 5-star recruit out of Jackson Prep High School in Flowood, Mississippi. According to 247sports, he was the number 3 running back in the nation coming out of high school. After seeing his high school stats, it is very clear to see why he was a top running back in the country. According to MaxPreps, Ealy was a four-year varsity letterman who got plenty of snaps his entire career. He played a total of 43 games, had 424 carries for 4,097 yards and 73 rushing touchdowns. I’m not done yet, he also racked up a total of 1,454 receiving yards for 21 touchdowns. With numbers like that, I am surprised he wasn’t the number one running back in the nation. Not too mention teams were calling to see him on the baseball diamond as well. Ealy is a two sport athlete at Ole Miss.
From the second he stepped foot on the Rebels field, he has made a huge impact. His freshman year he only got 104 touches, but made the absolute most out of them by rushing for 722 yards and 6 touchdowns. This kind of efficiency reminded me of an Ohio St. running back that was drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. The player I am talking about is J.K. Dobbins. During his freshman year, Ealy managed 7.2 yards per touch, while Dobbins put up 7.1 yards per touch as a freshman.
His production has gone down so far this season, but that is primarily due to Ealy sharing snaps with Henry Parrish Jr. Although he is splitting carries, I wish I could have seen him get a few more touches against ranked opponents. Against Alabama this season, he only had 3 touches for a total of 1 yard.
Jerrion Ealy Strengths
Elusiveness
I am very high on Ealy and it is primarily due to his ability to make defenders miss. When watching his film throughout this season, I grew increasingly impressed by his elusiveness. His ability to juke out the defender and take off in another direction is very impressive. When the defense is surrounding him, the play is far from over. Ealy is an exciting player to watch as he does not give up and occasionally defies the odds.
Receiving Ability
Ealy is the definition of a dual threat running back. I love his ability to be a consistent safety valve for Matt Corral. For a running back, he is a pretty good route runner. This doesn’t surprise me, because Ealy has acted as a plug and play player for the Rebels his entire career. Coming into the NFL, it is not likely that Ealy will be an every down back immediately. But, if he brings his receiving ability to the NFL, I think he could be a very good 3rd down running back. This is appealing to a lot of GMs, because Ealy will keep the defense on their toes and be an effective change of pace back.
Speed
Ole Miss RB Jerrion Ealy
Ealy is one of the most explosive running backs in the entire nation. On the second play of the game against Liberty, Ealy took off down the field for a 70-yard touchdown. The second Ealy saw a hole in the offensive line, it looked like he was shot out of a cannon. There was no defender that got even close to making a tackle on Ealy. Not only is he a good downhill runner, he also has fantastic acceleration after changing directions. When he is in the open field, he does a great job of stopping on a dime to shake off a defender. Once he does that, he is gone in another direction in the blink of an eye. This is what makes me think he will be a good complimentary piece to any offense in the NFL.
Jerrion Ealy Weaknesses
Size
Although there are countless running backs in the NFL that are Ealy’s size or smaller, this is still a big weakness in the NFL. In order to be an elite running back in the NFL, you have to be able to breakthrough and shed tackles. If you can be a dual threat in this aspect, you will have a bright future. An example of a player who does a good job of this is Austin Ekeler. Ekeler uses his size as an advantage, instead of a weakness, which is exactly what Ealy should do.
Pass Blocking
Ole Miss RB Jerrion Ealy
This kind of goes along with his lack of size. When running the play action, I would not bring in Ealy to block the front opposing front 7. More often than not, I would see the defender overpower Ealy and pressure Corral no problem. This is a red flag for a NFL GMs, because you want your running back to be able to pick up, or at least slow down, extra rushers. If Ealy wants to be an every down back, he will need to improve his pass blocking.
Jerrion Ealy Draft Stock
I am very high on Jerrion Ealy, so I may be more comfortable taking him higher in the 2022 NFL Draft than others. With that being said, I would be more than comfortable taking him in the early fourth round. I think he could potentially be a third-round talent, running backs just aren’t very valuable in the draft.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I think that Ealy has the potential to be something great in the NFL. The biggest obstacle that he can’t really overcome is his size. Ealy is a pretty small back, but we have seen countless backs in the league overcome this. Though his size is a worry, he has all the raw talent to be a fantastic complimentary piece to any NFL team.
Jerrion Ealy NFL Player Comparison
TBD
Jerrion Ealy Scouting Report by Matthew Lewis
