Jacob Phillips Overview
Position: Inside Linebacker
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 229 pounds
School: Louisiana State University Tigers
NFL Combine Performance Data
40-Yard Dash: 4.66 seconds
Vertical Jump: 39 inches
Broad Jump: 10 feet 6 inches
Three Cone Drill: 7.38 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.33 seconds
Jacob Phillips 2020 NFL Draft Profile
Jacob Phillips is a 21-year-old linebacker who started two years for LSU. He’s originally from Nashville, Tennessee. Phillips attended secondary school at East Nashville Magnet High School. Notably, Phillips was a top linebacker prospect out of Tennessee and he earned the “Mr. Football Award” for 3A athletes.
Although Phillips was a big fish in a smaller pond in Nashville, the competition was more stout in college. Phillips was up for the challenge, but he had to earn it. He didn’t start his freshman year, so he had to take advantage of every snap. He totaled 18 tackles and one pass break up in the 2017 season. Due to his hard work, Phillips started in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He compiled 87 total tackles, one sack, and an interception his sophomore year. After teammate Devin White went to the NFL in 2019, he led the SEC in tackles for his junior season with 113. Phillips also had one sack and a pass break up in his last collegiate year.
Strengths
- Great straight-line speed to close distance with ball carriers;
- powerful and goes low to wrap up legs on tackles;
- strong motor and doesn’t stop until the play is over;
- has an eye for the run game, with 7.5 tackles for loss his junior year;
- will make an immediate special teams impact as a result of speed and tackling prowess.
Weaknesses
- Not a natural in coverage, slow processing routes;
- takes too long to analyze plays and often wrong decision about where the ball is going;
- needs to work on shedding blocks so as not to get bogged down;
- not overly flexible and this shows when he has to change directions;
- lack of awareness for the gaps causing him to sit back and let the play come to him;
- will overrun plays working sideline and waste time redirecting to the point of attack
NFL Comparison: Kwon Alexander
Teams With a Need at the Position: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers
Projection: Third to fifth round
Bottom Line on Jacob Phillips
The 2019 national champion LSU Tigers have a fair amount of players heading to the NFL this year. Whether it’s offensive weapons such as Joe Burrow or Justin Jefferson; or defensive playmakers such as Kristian Fulton and Grant Delpit, the team was stacked with talent. Unfortunately for Phillips, that means his name is somewhat lost in the shuffle. Phillips has good size and athleticism. However, his play processing skills and lateral mobility combined with coverage mishaps mean he is more of a developmental prospect at this point.
Phillips’ best bet to see the field early in his career is to study the playbook like crazy and know his place on the defense. Luckily, he doesn’t have an injury history. He’d do well to be an earnest participant in special teams work where his straight-line speed can shine through. Phillips could be a late day two selection, but he may fall as far as the fifth round.
Main photo:
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