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Roll the Tape: Ole Miss RB Jerrion Ealy has some juice. He'll have to bottle it up if he hopes to stick with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ben Garrettby:Ben Garrett•05/02/22•

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Jerrion Ealy
Jerrion Ealy

Running back Jerrion Ealy rushed for some 2,200 yards over his Ole Miss career.

He’s a former five-star prospect, too, and he entered the 2021 season, when the Rebels were 10-3 overall and reached the Sugar Bowl for the 10th time in school history, as an All-America and All-SEC selection. Ealy put together three productive seasons with between 700 and 800 rushing yards, and he averaged more than 100 all-purpose yards per game all three seasons.

Yet, over the weekend, Ole Miss had six players selected in the NFL Draft for just the second time in 50 years, and Ealy wasn’t one of them.

The 5-foot-8, 187-pound Ealy left Ole Miss with one year of eligibility remaining, just like his Rebel running mate Snoop Conner. Unlike Ealy, Conner was a lightly-recruited high school prospect with limited offers, however, he was taken in the fifth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ealy, meanwhile, wasn’t able to muster all that much draft hype and ultimately had to settle for a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Ealy failed to generate eye-popping numbers at the NFL Combine, including a a 4.52 40-yard dash, 34.5-inch vertical and 128-inch broad jump. 

He showed a bit better at Ole Miss Pro Day in March, most notably in the 40 (4.4) He added 15 reps on the bench press, a 4.37 20-yard shuttle and a 7.10 three-cone.

He’s found a landing spot in Kansas City where he has a real opportunity to make the roster.

If nothing else, there’s a clear path to the practice squad. Ealy’s athletic profile certainly fits in the constant-motion, high-octane offensive system of head coach Andy Reid, who, along with MVP-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes, led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl win in 2020.

Kansas City currently features a not particularly inspiring running back room of Clyde Edwards-Helaire (a former first-round selection), Ronald Jones, Derrick Gore and Isaih Pacheco. The Chiefs also traded away star wide receiver Tyreek Hill this offseason.

Hill, now with the Miami Dolphins, was utilized in a number of roles, not just pass-catching, in an effort to unlock his unmatched athleticism. Athleticism is arguably Ealy’s best trait, specifically his agility and acceleration, even if he never quite unlocked his full potential at Ole Miss. He also returned kicks for the Rebels, enhancing his versatility and potential value.

Where Ealy is lacking is in his blocking and overall elite speed for his size.

But Kansas City has a history of producing solid NFL contributors from its undrafted classes. Chief (pardon the pun) among them is Byron Pringle, as well as Charvarius Ward and Darrel Williams. Like Ealy, Ward and Williams are both running backs.

Ealy will have to compete with fellow undrafted Chiefs signees and running backs Devin Darrington (Virginia) and Tayon Fleet-Davis (Maryland) in rookie minicamp. But if his flashes as a Rebel are any indication, Ealy has the potential to turn some heads given the opportunity.

Just roll the tape.

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