Overview

Position: CB

College: San Diego State

Class: Senior

Age: 23

 

Measurables

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 202 lbs.

Arm length: 30 3/4″

Hand size: 9 7/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: N/A

10-yard split: N/A

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Solid build with ideal strength. Stays athletic and on his toes moving around and tracking the action. Smooth in the side shuffle. Effective mirrors from backpedal to sprint in cushion coverage. Outstanding awareness and instincts in zone coverage. Quick reacting to in-breaking and out-breaking routes from off coverage. Active feet and exceptional feel in intermediate zone coverage to defend high-low reads on the boundary. Quick breaking on underneath throws at the catch point. Natural stickiness early in the route in man coverage. Sticks to opponents on curl routes. Good ability to stay close to crossing routes with burst to break on throws from the trail position. Great technique and stays low in press coverage. Very good strength jamming off the line. Patient mirroring vertical releases out of the press. Does an outstanding job getting his head around when covering vertical routes. Effective getting his head around to defend underthrown deep balls. Impressive ability to contend with bigger wideout on downfield passes. Very competitive battling at the catch point down the field with accuracy getting a hand in to deflect the ball away. Flashed excellent ball skills. Saw snaps at both right and left cornerback. Has experience playing man coverage in the slot. Very quick reacting to perimeter screens and will aggressively get downhill to tackle. Tough overall player. Quick to wrap up after the catch. Will accurately deliver a big hit along the sideline. Shows physicality and aggression taking on blockers. Very effective making wrap-up tackles on the edge. Floats inside to support the run. Quick avoiding blocks from offensive linemen. Used as a blitzer from closer alignment. Saw snaps from safety alignment.

 

Weaknesses

Average speed and acceleration at his size. Average length on the perimeter. Shows susceptibility allowing a step on inside releases. Has a bit of delay reacting to out-breaking routes from closer coverage. Quick feet but seems to have a gather step opening up from the press. Usually stays on top of vertical routes with a cushion but can be beaten deep based on his speed if he loses a step. Can take too shallow of a first step on perimeter runs and allow ball-carriers to get to the sideline. Can be better getting off blocks. Has some stiffness reacting to tackle in the open field.

 

NFL comparison

Deommodore Lenoir

 

Conclusion

Overall, Phillips is a competitive cornerback with strength, smoothness, and the ability to play both zone and man coverage. He should be able to stay outside, but Phillips also has the skillset to play the slot and profiles similarly to Deommodore Lenoir as a potential Day 3 steal.

 

Big Board ranking: #95 | Positional ranking: #14