Pre-draft 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. Following his breakout junior campaign, Ealy was a projected first round pick by numerous outlets, including the
Carolina Panthers general manager
Dave Gettleman, with some projecting him as a potential top 10 selection. His combination of length, athleticism, and versatility drew comparisons to players including
Robert Quinn,
Michael Bennett, and
Chandler Jones.
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.
Carolina Panthers in 2014 Ealy was selected by the Panthers in the second round (60th overall) pick of the 2014 NFL draft. On May 29, 2014, he signed a four-year $3.55 million deal. Per
Pro Football Focus, Ealy was one of the highest-graded run defenders of the NFL in the preseason. He made his NFL debut performance in Week 2 when the Panthers defeated the
Detroit Lions in a 24–7 victory. 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. 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. On December 23, 2014, Ealy was named to
Sports Illustrated All-Rookie Team. 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. Ealy finished his rookie season with 12 tackles, 4 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. Ealy's development continued through the 2015 preseason where he recorded two sacks and was named a full-time starter opposite to
Charles Johnson. During the Panthers Week 2 victory over the
Houston Texans, Ealy recorded his first quarterback pressure of the year. During the Panthers Week 4 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ealy recorded a career-high five tackles, 1 TFL, and a QB hit. During the Panthers victory over the Indianapolis Colts during Week 7, Ealy recorded his first strip sack of the season against quarterback
Andrew Luck. 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. Ealy managed 10 quarterback pressures through six games, but recorded six over the last two games. 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. 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. During the Panthers 33–14 victory over the Cowboys, Ealy recorded a sack in his 5th straight game. 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. The Panthers lost the Super Bowl by a score of 24–10. 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. 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 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. On August 26, 2017, Ealy was waived by the team.
New York Jets On August 27, 2017, Ealy was claimed off waivers by the
New York Jets. In the Week 4 win over the
Jacksonville Jaguars, he recorded his second interception after batting down a pass from quarterback
Blake Bortles.
Dallas Cowboys On April 5, 2018, he signed as a
free agent with the Cowboys, who coveted him as a player since the 2014 NFL draft. He could never distinguish himself in preseason, even after being tried at
defensive tackle. He was released on September 1.
Oakland Raiders On November 5, 2018, Ealy was signed by the
Oakland Raiders. He was released on November 13. He was signed on December 5. He wasn't re-signed after the season.
Houston Roughnecks In October 2019, Ealy was picked by the
Houston Roughnecks of the
XFL during the open phase of the
2020 XFL draft. In March, amid the
COVID-19 pandemic, the league announced that it would be cancelling the rest of the season. Playing in all 5 games, he had 9 tackles (2 for loss) and half a sack. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
Toronto Argonauts On February 22, 2021, Ealy signed with the
Toronto Argonauts of the
Canadian Football League (CFL). In the following year, he was released with the final
training camp cuts on June 5, 2022.
Vegas Knight Hawks On June 15, 2022, Ealy signed with the
Vegas Knight Hawks of the
Indoor Football League (IFL).
Edmonton Elks On July 21, 2022, Ealy signed with the
Edmonton Elks of the CFL. He was released on October 24, 2023. ==NFL career statistics==