Tag: Jaelan Phillips

Jaelan Phillips and the pass rushing plan

Jaelan Phillips returned to the field for Miami this season, and put together a great year. Is he the best pass rusher in the class?

This is shaping up to be a fascinating class of pass rushers for the 2021 NFL draft. A player who seems to be working his way towards the top of the class is Jaelan Phillips, from Miami. Phillips started his career at UCLA, but later enrolled at Miami and this season he finally returned to the field. The 2020 campaign was an extremely productive one for him with the Hurricanes. Phillips appeared in ten games, notching 45 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, and eight sacks. All of those — including the ten games — represent career-highs for him.

This video dives into Jaelan Phillips and the pass rushing plan. You’ll see examples of his technique off the edge, the ways the Hurricanes used him up front, and one area where he could actually improve his game:

https://youtu.be/VkAsdPCHAuY

Now Phillips does not come without concerns. His time at UCLA was marked by injuries, including three concussions, the last of which led to his retirement from football. Eventually he found his way back to the field, and what we saw this past season might be enough to push him to the top of the board at his position.

 

 

Patriots take prolific pass rusher in latest CBS Sports mock draft

The Patriots select a pass rusher in a recent mock draft from CBS Sports.

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As the 2021 NFL Draft gets closer, we’re seeing more experts predict who the New England Patriots will pick with the No. 15 overall selection. On Wednesday, Chris Trapasso of CBSSports.com made his selection for New England and he had defense in mind.

Trapasso had New England selecting Jaelan Phillips, a defensive lineman from Miami. Phillips recorded 45 tackles, eight sacks and an interception in 10 games played. His best game for Miami last season came against Virginia Tech where the Hurricanes won and he recorded eight tackles along with 2.5 sacks — he was truly a defensive force.

This selection is particularly interesting, as Trapasso has New England trading down to the No. 22 pick with the Tennessee Titans trading up to No. 15 overall. He believes that the selection of Phillips could help with the New England Patriots pass rush.

After sliding back to get a few day two selections, the Patriots address their anemic pass rush with Phillips, a former No. 1 recruit in the nation.

This would certainly be a huge boost for the New England defense. Phillips would immediately give them a weapon on the defensive line.

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Vikings draft Miami’s DE Jaelan Phillips in Charley Casserly’s mock draft

In his first and only season at Miami, Phillips finished with 8.0 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss.

The Vikings are set to have Danielle Hunter back in 2021 after missing all of 2020 with a neck injury.

While his presence will certainly give the Vikings’ pass rush a boost, the Vikings could use some help on the other side of the defensive all.

In his latest mock draft over at NFL.com, Charley Casserly has the Vikings drafting Miami defensive end Jaelan Phillips.

Here’s what Casserley wrote about Phillips:

The offensive line is a priority in Minnesota, but pass rush is a bigger need right now.

In his first and only season at Miami, Phillips finished with 8.0 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss.

If the Vikings decide not to upgrade the defensive end spot opposite of Hunter, Ifeadi Odenigbo would be the starter — and that could still be the case even if the Vikings do draft someone like Phillips.

You can check out Casserly’s full mock draft here.

Mock Draft Watch: Latest NBC projection sees Browns go EDGE in 1st round

Mock Draft Watch: Latest NBC projection sees Browns go EDGE in 1st round

Mock Draft season continues with an interesting selection in the newest NBC mock draft from Dalton Johnson and Josh Schrock. It has been a common theme for these mocks to have the Cleveland Browns adding defensive ends, but this is the first where Jaelan Phillips from Mami lands at No. 26 overall.

In this scenario DEs Kwity Paye, Azeez Ojulari & Gregory Rousseau are already off the board. Dalton Johnson had the following to add about Phillips to Cleveland:

“Phillips could take some time but putting him across the line from Myles Garrett is a perfect pairing for him. He was a top high school recruit and returned to football for Miami after medically retiring while at UCLA. In his only season at Miami, he had eight sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss and three passes defensed. Phillips has all the tools. The Browns are for real, and this could be a great get late in the first round.”

Other DE Options:

Joseph Ossai, Texas, 6-4, 255 pounds:

Ossai has led the Longhorns in sacks the last two seasons with five each and always seems to be around the ball as evidenced by his 54 tackles. He also forced an impressive three fumbles this past season. He went six picks later in the NBC mock.

Later Round DE Options:

Quincy Roche, Miami, 6-4, 235 pounds:

Phillips’ teammate, Roche was actually ranked higher on most people’s boards coming into the season as the Temple grad transfer had some phenomenal tape, but Phillips overshadowed him just a slight bit. Roche is a tad undersized, but has been extremely productive throughout his collegiate career including last season being second on the team in sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (14.5).

 

Patrick Jones II, Pittsburgh, 6-5, 260 pounds:

Jones has been named All-ACC the last two seasons and for good reason as he was the leader of one of the more dangerous defensive lines in the ACC. Jones consistently finds a way to disrupt offenses in the backfield as evidenced by his 12.5 tackles for loss. He is an extremely productive and impressive pass rusher as evidenced by his five quarterback hurries and team leading nine sacks.

 

 

 

Colts add EDGE, OT in Draft Wire post-Super Bowl mock draft

Here’s the haul for Indy in Draft Wire’s latest mock.

Even though the 2021 NFL draft is still months away, the Indianapolis Colts are hard at work figuring out what path they want to take with their selections at the end of April.

With needs at quarterback, left tackle, edge rusher and cornerback, the options are seemingly endless for the Colts to add young talent to positions of need. They did just that in Draft Wire’s post-Super Bowl mock on Monday.

Here are the two selections the Colts made in the two-round mock draft from Luke Easterling:

  • 21. Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami
  • 54. Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson

In this mock draft, five quarterbacks went in the first 19 picks. It doesn’t appear there were any trades conducted but the Colts would have had their chances to move up if they wanted to.

Regardless, it is very well within the range of possibilities that the Colts stay put at their picks and add to the edge and offensive line. Those are two of their biggest needs entering the offseason and even though the Colts don’t purely draft based on that, they are still looking to improve those positions.

Phillips is an intriguing prospect given his size, length and athleticism. He has the skill set Chris Ballard would like to bring into the defensive line room, especially if they go the cheaper route in free agency.

Carman would be the one to replace Anthony Castonzo, who retired this offseason after 10 seasons in the NFL. Working next to Quenton Nelson will help the development of a young offensive tackle.

It will be interesting to see how the Colts go about their draft, but these might be two names to keep an eye on.

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2-round mock draft has Ravens finding immediate impact defenders

In our two-round Baltimore Ravens mock draft, the team picks up two great young defenders that should make an immediate impact.

The offseason is upon us which means it’s really mock draft season. While there are so many things to cover throughout the offseason, the NFL draft remains the highlight. With the Baltimore Ravens’ season over and the major team needs outlined, it’s time to do our very first mock draft of the offseason, focusing on the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL draft.

For this two-round mock draft, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator and their predictive board. I chose the best player available that fit one of the team’s biggest needs. While there were some exciting prospects at other positions who were higher rated on the board, I went after the players who I thought best fit what Baltimore is looking to do and its “play like a Raven” mentality.

While I believe the Ravens desperately need help at wide receiver and interior offensive line, there were no good values on the board at either of Baltimore’s two picks. But in typical Ravens fashion, I was able to find some pretty exciting defensive talent available at both of Baltimore’s picks.

Let’s take a look at how it all shook out.

Ravens select Miami pass rusher Jaelan Phillips in Draft Wire’s post Senior Bowl mock draft

The Baltimore Ravens address their shortage of capable pass rushers in Draft Wire’s latest mock draft following the Senior Bowl.

The Senior Bowl has developed into a major part of the NFL draft process, giving teams a closer look at some of the nation’s top college players in pads one final time. With the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine effectively not happening this offseason due to COVID-19 and teams having to rely solely on individual college Pro Days, the Senior Bowl will carry even more weight.

With the Senior Bowl just wrapping up this weekend, Luke Easterling of Draft Wire put together his latest mock draft, taking into account how it’ll impact the first round. Easterling had the Baltimore Ravens select Miami pass rusher Jaelan Phillips.

“With this pick, the Ravens have proven they love value and defense in the first round, and Phillips is a perfect blend of both,” Easterling said. “He’s still a bit raw, but the physical tools and potential are off the charts.”

Phillips played his first two seasons at UCLA before transferring to Miami in 2020. Over those three seasons, Phillips played in 20 games, notching 12.5 sacks, an interception, 86 combined tackles, and 23.5 tackles for a loss.

While Phillips’ stats aren’t exactly eye-popping, he’s a very balanced and versatile EDGE player, according to The Draft Network’s Joe Marino. He can play at a variety of different spots on the field (from playing with his hand in the dirt at defensive end to being an upright outside linebacker) while being just as dedicated against the run as he is against the pass. However, despite that wide range, it’s all still pretty raw ability as Easterling noted.

While that might not sound appealing for a first-round pick, the incredibly high ceiling Phillips has should be. Phillips could also be a much-needed selection if both Matthew Judon and Yannick Ngakoue leave in free agency this offseason. Even if the Ravens are able to re-sign one of their veteran pass rushers, continuing to stack talent at the position through the draft is a smart move.

For those fans that might be upset this pick isn’t a much-needed wide receiver, don’t worry, Easterling has you covered there too. He specifically calls out the need for a big-bodied wide receiver but believes Baltimore will remedy that in free agency.

“Lamar Jackson needs a receiver with some size, but I expect them to target a top free agent such as Allen Robinson II to fill that role.”

If Esterling’s predictions are right on the money, this will be an extremely successful offseason for the Ravens. They will have filled their top-two needs with players who will have an immediate impact, which should propel them further next season.

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Cardinals land pass rusher in Daniel Jeremiah’s 1st mock draft of year

The land Miami pass rusher Jaelan Phillips with the 16th pick in the draft in this first mock draft of the year for Jeremiah.

For all but four NFL teams, it is the offseason and we are approaching NFL draft season. As such, the mock drafts begin. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah released his first mock draft of the year and has quarterbacks going with the first two picks.

The Arizona Cardinals have the 16th overall pick and land a top pass rusher.

He has them selecting Miami Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.

Phillips is the most gifted pass rusher in this year’s draft. He has an excellent get-off, he can bend at the top of his rush and he is a finisher.

Phillips had a big season in Miami in 2020. He had eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in 10 games. It was his only season with the Hurricanes. He played his first two years of college at UCLA.

Adding a talented pass rusher would be a good thing for Arizona.

Chandler Jones is in the final year of his contract, is going to be 31 this year and is coming off a season-ending biceps tear. He only had one sack in four games before getting hurt.

The Cardinals also have questions at outside linebacker because of Jones’ status and the fact that Markus Golden and Haason Reddick both will be free agents.

The Cardinals have a number of needs that would make for good first-round picks. A pass rusher would be a solid addition.

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Falcons select QB Zach Wilson, Miami EDGE in Draft Wire’s new mock

This 2021 NFL Draft is especially top-heavy at the quarterback position, with three players, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and BYU’s Zach Wilson, projected to go in the top five.

This 2021 NFL Draft is especially top-heavy at the quarterback position, with three players, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and BYU’s Zach Wilson, projected to go in the top five.

Most teams picking that high in the draft would be thrilled about the prospect of landing a potential franchise QB. However, the Atlanta Falcons have Matt Ryan under contract, and a rookie signal-caller surely won’t solve the team’s problems in 2021.

Having Ryan doesn’t mean the Falcons won’t still grab one of the three blue-chip quarterback prospects they’re likely to have a shot at with their first-round selection, though. In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, Luke Easterling has Atlanta picking Zach Wilson with the No. 4 overall pick.

Prior to the year, Wilson wasn’t considered to be in the same class as Lawrence or Fields. In 2019, he threw for just 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. This season, Wilson threw for 33 touchdowns, 3,692 yards and just three picks, while completing 73.5 percent of his passes.

Check out this highlight video of Wilson playing against Boise State earlier this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uab8plGdqMI

Easterling’s draft extends to the second round, where the Falcons again find a pass rusher that could step in right away. Miami’s Jaelan Phillips is the pick for Atlanta at No. 35 overall.

In 2020, Phillips racked up 45 tackles (21 solo), eight sacks, three passes defended and one interception. Check out some footage of Phillips going up against Virginia Tech below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WilIPXkEvWM

There’s still one game remaining, though, which could alter the 2021 draft order. The Falcons won’t be falling out of the top ten, but even if the pick drops down one or two spots, it could affect whether or not the team takes a quarterback in the first round.

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2021 Patriots mock draft: Addressing major needs, including QB, in the top 4 rounds

Knocking off the Patriots’ biggest needs with the top five picks.

The New England Patriots’ roster, as it is currently constructed, has a few spots that look deep. The offensive line and the secondary, for example, seem well-equipped for 2021 and beyond. But then there are positions where New England has seemed deeply undermanned: tight end, quarterback, receiver and inside linebacker. Bill Belichick has said he doesn’t draft for need. But this is one of those years where it might be smart to find plug-and-play rookies at those positions. With all the cap space the Patriots have, they could pair the rookies with veterans to help in the event of slow development.

Here’s our first four-round mock draft. (We didn’t go seven rounds, because we’re not yet familiar enough with this draft class to bother diving that deeply. But we’ll get there.) Let’s jump in.