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Kony Ealy

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Kony Ealy
refer to caption
Ealy with the New York Jets in 2017
Personal information
Born: (1991-12-21) December 21, 1991 (age 32)
Morganton, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:275 lb (125 kg)
Career information
High school:New Madrid County Central
(New Madrid, Missouri)
College:Missouri
Position:Defensive end
NFL draft:2014 / round: 2 / pick: 60
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:92
Sacks:15.0
Forced fumbles:6
Fumble recoveries:2
Interceptions:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Kony Montoy Ealy (born December 21, 1991) is an American professional football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.

Early life

[edit]

Ealy attended New Madrid County Central in New Madrid, Missouri, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track. In football, he notched 89 tackles, including 31 tackles for loss, and 10.5 quarterback sacks while adding 21 quarterback hurries in his junior season; on offense, he caught 22 passes for 501 yards and 3 touchdowns.

He was a first-team All-state, All-conference, All-region and All-district selection as a senior, after he amassed 104 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 31 quarterback pressures, 5 forced fumbles, 7 pass break ups, 4 blocked kicks. He was also a standout in basketball, where he earned All-state, and numerous All-district, All-region and All-conference honors.[1]

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Ealy was rated as the 11th best weakside defensive end prospect of his class.[2]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Kony Ealy
DE 		New Madrid, Missouri New Madrid County Central High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 230 lb (100 kg) 4.65 Feb 3, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 78
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 13 (DE)   Rivals: 11 (DE), 3 (MO)  ESPN: 49 (DE)
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Missouri Football Commitment List (23)". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  • "2010 Missouri College Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  • "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2014.

College career

[edit]

Ealy accepted a football scholarship from the University of Missouri. In 2010, he was redshirted as a true freshman. In 2011, Ealy earned a back-up role, recording 13 tackles, one sack, and three tackles for loss in 12 games. He made his first career start at Baylor. During the Independence Bowl against North Carolina, Ealy recorded 2 tackles, including a half-tackle for loss. He was named to the Big 12 Conference All-Freshman Team.

In 2012, he started 10 games for the Tigers, recording 37 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 7 pass break-ups, and 5 quarterback pressures. In 2013, he started all 14 games, setting a new career high in tackles with 43, tackles for loss with 14.5, and sacks with 9.5, while forcing three fumbles and intercepting one pass which he returned 49 yards for a touchdown against Indiana. For his play, Ealy was named to the first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Ealy announced on January 3, 2014, that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2014 NFL draft.[3]

Professional career

[edit]

Pre-draft

[edit]

As a sophomore the year before, Ealy was given a third round grade by the NFL Draft Advisory Board, which is typically conservative when projecting the draft positions of underclassmen.[4][5] Following his breakout junior campaign, Ealy was a projected first round pick by numerous outlets, including the Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman,[6] with some projecting him as a potential top 10 selection.[7][8][9] His combination of length, athleticism, and versatility drew comparisons to players including Robert Quinn, Michael Bennett, and Chandler Jones.[8][10] Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones noted after the 2014 NFL draft that had the Cowboys not traded the number 47 overall selection in a deal to move up to select Boise State defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, they would have used that pick to draft Ealy, whom they regarded as an immediate starter.[11]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4 in
(1.93 m) 		273 lb
(124 kg) 		34+1⁄4 in
(0.87 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.69 s 1.69 s 2.75 s 4.45 s 6.83 s 32 in
(0.81 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine[12] or Missouri Pro Day[7]

Carolina Panthers

[edit]
Ealy with the Carolina Panthers in 2014

Ealy was selected by the Panthers in the second round (60th overall) pick of the 2014 NFL draft.[13] On May 29, 2014, he signed a four-year $3.55 million deal.[14] Per Pro Football Focus, Ealy was one of the highest-graded run defenders of the NFL in the preseason.[15] He made his NFL debut performance in Week 2 when the Panthers defeated the Detroit Lions in a 24–7 victory.[16] In their Week 8 matchup against the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, Ealy had his best game of the season with two solo tackles and the first sack of his NFL career against Russell Wilson.[17] In their Week 14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ealy recorded his second career NFL sack against Josh McCown. Ealy followed this up with another sack of Brian Hoyer during the Panthers Week 15 win over the Cleveland Browns, beating Joe Thomas.[18] On December 23, 2014, Ealy was named to Sports Illustrated All-Rookie Team.[19] During the final game of the season, Ealy recorded a sack on Atlanta quarterback, Matt Ryan, recording a sack in each of the final three games of his rookie season. Over the final four games of the season, Ealy also recorded nine QB pressures to double his total over any other four game segment of his rookie season.[20] Ealy finished his rookie season with 12 tackles, 4 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[21]

Ealy's development continued through the 2015 preseason where he recorded 2 sacks and was named a full-time starter opposite to Charles Johnson.[22] During the Panthers Week 2 victory over the Houston Texans, Ealy recorded his first quarterback pressure of the year.[23] During the Panthers Week 4 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ealy recorded a career-high five tackles, 1 TFL, and a QB hit.[24] During the Panthers victory over the Indianapolis Colts during Week 7, Ealy recorded his first strip sack of the season against quarterback Andrew Luck.[25] During the Panthers 37–29 victory over the Green Bay Packers that helped the Panthers move to 8–0 in the first time in franchise history, Ealy recorded a strip sack for the second consecutive week against quarterback Aaron Rodgers.[26] Ealy managed 10 quarterback pressures through six games, but recorded six over the last two games.[27] The following week, Ealy picked up a sack in his third straight game against Marcus Mariota during the Panthers 27–10 victory over the Tennessee Titans.[28] The next week, during the Panthers 44–16 victory over the Washington Redskins to move them to 10–0, Ealy had his fourth straight game with a sack of quarterback Kirk Cousins and on the same play, recorded a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.[29] During the Panthers 33–14 victory over the Cowboys, Ealy recorded a sack in his 5th straight game.[30] During Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos, Ealy tied the Super Bowl record and set the Panthers' postseason record with three sacks, accomplishing this in only 23 total snaps. In addition, he recorded an interception and forced fumble in the game.[31] The Panthers lost the Super Bowl by a score of 24–10.[32] Ealy became the first player in Super Bowl history to have an interception and multiple sacks. He was the first player since 1993 to record multiple sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in a postseason game.[33] He tied both Reggie White and Darnell Dockett for the most sacks in a Super Bowl with three.

In 2016, Ealy played all 16 games, but only started six. He recorded 32 tackles, five sacks, and one interception.

New England Patriots

[edit]

On March 10, 2017, Ealy was traded to the New England Patriots along with a third-round draft pick in the 2017 NFL draft in exchange for New England's 2017 second-round draft pick.[34][35][36] On August 26, 2017, Ealy was waived by the team.[37][38]

New York Jets

[edit]

On August 27, 2017, Ealy was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets.[39] In the Week 4 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he recorded his second interception after batting down a pass from quarterback Blake Bortles.[40]

Dallas Cowboys

[edit]

On April 5, 2018, he signed as a free agent with the Cowboys, who coveted him as a player since the 2014 NFL draft.[41] He could never distinguish himself in preseason, even after being tried at defensive tackle. He was released on September 1.[42]

Oakland Raiders

[edit]

On November 5, 2018, Ealy was signed by the Oakland Raiders.[43] He was released on November 13.[44] He was signed on December 5.[45] He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Houston Roughnecks

[edit]

In October 2019, Ealy was picked by the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL during the open phase of the 2020 XFL Draft.[46] In March, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the league announced that it would be cancelling the rest of the season.[47] Playing in all 5 games, he had 9 tackles (2 for loss) and half a sack.[48] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[49]

Toronto Argonauts

[edit]

On February 22, 2021, Ealy signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[50] In the following year, he was released with the final training camp cuts on June 5, 2022.[51]

Vegas Knight Hawks

[edit]

On June 15, 2022, Ealy signed with the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League (IFL).[52]

Edmonton Elks

[edit]

On July 21, 2022, Ealy signed with the Edmonton Elks of the CFL.[53] He was released on October 24, 2023.[54]

NFL career statistics

[edit]
Regular season statistics
Year Team GP GS Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Comb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR
2014 CAR 15 0 12 8 4 4.0 0 0 — — — — — 1 0
2015 CAR 16 9 32 15 17 5.0 0 2 — — — — — 3 2
2016 CAR 16 6 32 19 13 5.0 0 3 1 7 7.0 7 0 2 0
2017 NYJ 15 4 14 11 3 1.0 0 9 1 9 9.0 9 0 0 0
Total 62 19 90 53 37 15.0 0 14 2 16 8.0 9 0 6 2
Postseason statistics
Year Team GP GS Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Comb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR
2014 CAR 2 0 4 1 3 0.0 0 0 — — — — — 0 0
2015 CAR 3 1 7 4 3 3.0 0 1 1 19 19.0 19 0 1 1
Total 5 1 11 5 6 3.0 0 1 1 19 19.0 19 0 1 1

Personal life

[edit]

Ealy has two sisters, LaToya Brown and Sierra Jones. Sierra is one-year older than Ealy and suffers from a rare, lifelong chromosome disorder.[55] LaToya died in September 2017 from a respiratory disease.[56]

He is a father of one daughter, Royal, who was born in November 2015.[57]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kony Ealy". Missouri Tigers Athletics. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  2. ^ "Ryan Grant Stats | College Football at". Sports-reference.com. January 1, 1970. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  3. ^ "Missouri DE Kony Ealy will enter 2014 NFL Draft". NFL.com. January 4, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  4. ^ Latsch, Nate (December 31, 2013). "Kony Ealy's strong season for Missouri Tigers draws notice from opponents, NFL scouts". FOX Sports. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  5. ^ "Asher Allen ignored NFL projection | UGA sports blog". Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  6. ^ "Panthers' 2nd-Round Pick: Missouri DE Kony Ealy". Blackandbluereview.com. May 9, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "*Kony Ealy | Missouri, DE : 2014 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". Nfldraftscout.com. September 21, 2006. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  9. ^ Joseph Zucker (January 4, 2014). "Kony Ealy Officially Announces He Will Enter 2014 NFL Draft". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  10. ^ Dinkins, Chad (February 3, 2014). "2014 NFL Draft Scouting Report - Kony Ealy, DE Missouri". Withthefirstpick.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  11. ^ "Cowboys VP: We likely would have drafted Ealy absent trade". NFL.com. May 14, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  12. ^ Nolan Nawrocki (February 13, 2013). "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Kony Ealy". Nfl.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  13. ^ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  14. ^ "Kony Ealy Contract Details, Salary Cap Breakdowns, Salaries, Bonuses". Spotrac.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  15. ^ "Inside the Numbers :: Panthers 2014 Draft Class could be best in years". Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  16. ^ "Kony Ealy Stats, News, Videos, Highlights, Pictures, Bio - Carolina Panthers". Espn.go.com. December 21, 1991. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  17. ^ Brandon Croce (October 26, 2014). "Panthers' Defensive Grades for Week 8 - Nfl - Scout". Profootball.scout.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  18. ^ "Observations: Browns at Panthers, Second Half - BBR". Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  19. ^ Doug Farrar (December 23, 2014). "Best NFL rookies 2014: Teddy Bridgewater, Aaron Donald, more". SI.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  20. ^ Bryan Knowles (May 22, 2015). "5 Carolina Panthers Players Poised for a Breakout Campaign in 2015". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  21. ^ "2014 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  22. ^ "Panthers coach Rivera says he's found his new defensive end: Kony Ealy". Charlotteobserver.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  23. ^ "Panthers PFF Grades - Defense - Carolina Panthers - Carolina Huddle". Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  24. ^ "Panthers vs. Buccaneers - Box Score - October 4, 2015". Espn.go.com. October 4, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  25. ^ "Indianapolis at Carolina | 2015-11-02 | National Football League | Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  26. ^ "Green Bay at Carolina | 2015-11-08 | National Football League | Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  27. ^ Bryan Strickland (November 12, 2015). "Notes: Ealy picking up pace". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  28. ^ "Panthers at Titans: Stats and Superlatives". Blackandbluereview.com. November 15, 2015. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  29. ^ "Watch Washington Redskins vs. Carolina Panthers". NFL.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  30. ^ Brinson, Will (November 27, 2015). "Panthers' Kony Ealy: Records sack in fifth straight game". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  31. ^ "Super Bowl 50 - National Football League Game Summary" (PDF). NFL.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  32. ^ "Super Bowl 50 - Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers - February 7th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  33. ^ "Kony Ealy's Breakout Game Not Enough for Panthers". Blackandbluereview.com. February 8, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  34. ^ Strickland, Bryan (March 10, 2017). "Panthers trade Kony Ealy to Patriots". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018.
  35. ^ Sessler, Marc (March 10, 2017). "Carolina Panthers trade DE Kony Ealy to Patriots". NFL.com.
  36. ^ "Patriots acquire WR Brandin Cooks in a trade with New Orleans; Acquire DL Kony Ealy in a trade with Carolina". Patriots.com. March 11, 2017. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018.
  37. ^ "Patriots Release DL Kony Ealy". Patriots.com. August 26, 2017. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018.
  38. ^ Sessler, Marc (August 26, 2017). "Patriots release Kony Ealy". NFL.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017.
  39. ^ Allen, Eric (August 27, 2017). "Jets Claim DE Kony Ealy". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018.
  40. ^ Cimini, Rich (October 1, 2017). "Emotional Kony Ealy receives game ball after difficult week". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  41. ^ Shook, Nick (April 5, 2018). "Cowboys agree to terms with former Jets DE Kony Ealy". NFL.com.
  42. ^ Helman, David (September 1, 2018). "Bailey Not Only Surprise Cut As Cowboys Trim To 53". DallasCowboys.com.
  43. ^ "Raiders sign defensive end Kony Ealy". Raiders.com. November 5, 2018.
  44. ^ "Raiders announce transactions - 11.13.18". Raiders.com. November 13, 2018.
  45. ^ "Raiders announce transactions - 12.5.18". Raiders.com. December 5, 2018.
  46. ^ Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  47. ^ "XFL Injured Reserve". XFL.com. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  48. ^ "XFL Knoy Ealy stats". XFL.com. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  49. ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  50. ^ "ARGOS ADD FORMER 2ND ROUND NFL PICK KONY EALY AND OL BLAKE CAMPER". argonauts.ca. February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  51. ^ "Argo transactions – June 5, 2022". Toronto Argonauts. June 5, 2022.
  52. ^ "Transactions". goifl.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  53. ^ "2022 CFL Transactions". cfl.ca. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  54. ^ "2023 Transactions".
  55. ^ "NFL 360: Sacks for Sierra with Kony Ealy". Panthers.com. December 27, 2016.
  56. ^ Calvaruso, Tyler (October 1, 2017). "Jets defensive end Kony Ealy gets game ball in wake of sister's death". USAToday.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  57. ^ Jones, Jonathan (June 4, 2016). "Carolina Panthers DE Kony Ealy narrows focus to NFL, fatherhood". CharlotteObserver.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
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