Packer Draft 2015 Prospects ~ Oklahoma DT Jordan Phillips

We kick off our draft preview by looking at defensive players, today DT Jordan Phillips whom is projected to be there by a couple of draft gurus.

Positives:

Phillips has rare size for his position, but wears his weight well and looks and plays much lighter than his weight would suggest.  He moves well, with a good first step, and has surprising quickness and agility.  In the running game, Phillips has great strength and  maintains his position, even when he is double teamed.  On pass plays he gets excellent penetration, collapsing the pocket from the inside, and forcing Quarterbacks to either get rid of the ball or scramble out of the pocket.  Phillips is not just a space eater; he is athletic and has a couple of nice pass rush moves, including a great swim move, which I highlighted in the play below.

Jordan Phillips vs Tennessee (2014)



Negatives:

As a red shirt sophomore, Phillips is young and inexperienced, especially considering he missed most of last year due to a back injury.  One thing I noticed on film was that even though he does a great job getting pressure, he does not finish the play.  This is due to a couple of different reasons.  One is that he doesn’t keep his head up and his eyes on the ball.  Another  is he struggles to disengage from blockers.  His height for the position is also sometimes a detriment.  Smaller Centers are able to win the battle of leverage and he tends to bend at the waist as games go on.  In the play below, you see Phillips get decent penetration on the run play, but then he cannot disengage from the Center, which allows the running back to run by him.

Jordan Phillips vs Texas Christian (2014)



Overall:

Phillips is an intriguing player.  Right now, he is raw but has only just scratched the surface of his potential.  I envision him as a player who could make in impact from the DT position as both a run stuffer and a pass disruptor.  He probably won’t put up big numbers that jump off the stat sheet, but his ability to collapse the pocket could be a valuable asset.  He needs to work on his play awareness and technique but the physical tools are there. I believe he can be put in a rotation in GB on DL and is an upgrade over Raji or Guion.