Jordan Phillips | DT, Oklahoma
Height: 6-5 Weight: 329
Class: So Hometown: Towanda, KS
Prospect Rank: 47 Position Rank: 5

ESPN INSIDER ANALYSIS **

What he brings: He is a massive, wide-bodied nose tackle prospect with excellent strength and elite mobility for his size. There are only so many human beings his size who can move like he does. But he was completely unreliable at Oklahoma in terms of his on-field effort, particularly on passing plays.

NFL DRAFT SCOUT DRAFT ANALYSIS **

STRENGTHS: Naturally large man with good overall weight distribution. Tall, broad shouldered, long-limbed player with a thick lower half. Surprisingly athletic for a player of his size, exhibiting good initial quickness, lateral agility and impressive straight-line speed. Occasionally explodes off the ball and can ruin plays before they have a chance to work.

Possesses quick hands to slap away the attempts at opponents to latch on and control him and uses an effective swim move to slip free. Alert to the quarterback and shows good effort to gets his hands into passing lanes. Powerful. Can knock centers back onto their heels with his initial surge and shows good upper-body strength to lock out and shed. Anchors effectively due to his size and strength and shows good effort in pursuit in the tackle box.

Appears to be just scratching the surface of his potential.

WEAKNESSES: Not yet the sum of his parts. Too often stands up at the snap, negating his own power and while very quick for a man of his size, too rarely makes plays at the point of attack, as ballcarriers are often able to avoid him.

Inconsistent hand usage. Too often latches onto blockers and reacts to what he sees, rather than penetrating. Despite his length, has just two passes broken up in 27 career games.

Underwent back surgery in October of 2013 in an attempt to correct issues that had bothered him for a few years. As head coach Bob Stoops said at the time of Phillips' surgery, the procedure wasn't due to "one specific injury." Has only one full season of starting experience at the collegiate level.

COMPARES TO: Dontari Poe, Kansas City Chiefs: Because of their similar build and eye-popping athleticism, Poe is the easy comparison for Phillips. While Poe has emerged as one of the NFL's most intimidating nose guards, many others with similar talents have struggled with consistency in the NFL.

Phillips could just as easily wind up the second coming of Marcus Stroud or Albert Haynesworth, who lacked the requisite work ethic to take full advantage of their talents. Given Phillips' history of back issues, former first rounders turned early NFL retirees Marcus Tubbs (Seattle) and Justin Harrell (Green Bay) could unfortunately prove valid comparisons, as well.

--Rob Rang

Player Overview

The massive defensive tackle was a five-star recruit and turned down offers from virtually every other program in the country to sign with Oklahoma. After redshirting his first year on campus and recording 12 tackles in 11 games as a reserve in 2012, Phillips won a starting role as a redshirt sophomore.

Unfortunately, a back injury ended Phillips' 2013 season after just four games. Phillips recorded seven tackles, including two for loss and 1.5 sacks during that time.

Phillips started all 12 games for Oklahoma in 2014, recording 32 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks, earning a spot on the coaches' Second Team All-Big-12 squad. Despite the fact that he has the equivalent of just one NFL regular season of starts under his belt, Phillips elected to forego his final year of eligibility and enter the 2015 draft.

Phillips' blend of size and athleticism is certainly intriguing and teams operating out of traditional three- and four-man fronts, alike, will be interested. He commands double teams in the middle and makes the occasional splashy play, demonstrating surprising quickness for a man of his size. He comes with obvious red-flags, however, not the least of which is his relative inexperience and the back injury which ruined his 2013 campaign.

NFL.COM ANALYSIS **

Overview

Has started just 17 games since arriving at Oklahoma in 2011. In 2014, selected second-team All-Big 12, starting in all 13 games. Had 7 tackles against Clemson in Russell Athletic Bowl. Started in four games in 2013 before having season-ending back surgery. Played in 11 games in 2012, but did not start at any point and finished with 12 tackles. Was a redshirt in 2011. Selected Under Armour All-American and was the nation's No. 1-rated overall prospect as a senior at Towanda High School (Kan.). Took snaps on both sides of the ball in high school. Recorded 17 receptions for 400 yards and four touchdowns while adding two rushing touchdowns during his time in high school.

Analysis

Strengths

Weaknesses

Scouts consider him a flash player who can dominate a game but will disappear during stretches. Needs to play with better knee bend and lower pad level. Loses some leverage and becomes top-heavy wrestler at times. Not effective as pass rusher. Stalls out early and settles for looking to bat down passes. Doesn't crank up a consistent bull rush. Consistency of motor could be improved.

Draft Projection

Round 1 or 2

Sources Tell Us

"He has the body type and length to play in a 3-4 or 4-3 front, but there is no reason to move him from the nose. If he gets that motor going, he could be a dominant pro." -- AFC North scout

NFL Comparison

Terrance Knighton

Bottom Line