Clark Phillips III NFL Draft Overview
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5′-10″
Weight: 184 pounds
School: Utah
2023 NFL Draft: Clark Phillips III Scouting Report
Clark Phillips III began his college career in the Beehive State, in the Covid-19 shortened season of 2020. Phillips played in all five of the Utes games that season, recording 25 tackles (22 solo, three assisted), while also recovering a fumble and securing an interception. He also defended against two passes and had a touchdown. In his second season in Salt Lake City, Phillips played in all 14 of the Utes games where he had 61 tackles (45 solo, 16 assisted), one forced fumble, and two interceptions, including one for a touchdown, while defending against 13 passes. In what would be his final season at the University of Utah in 2022, Phillips played in 12/14 games, had 24 total tackles (16 solo, eight assisted), one sack, and a mind-boggling six interceptions, a third of which were returned for touchdowns; he also defended against six passes.
Strengths
- Reads quarterback while also staying with receiver throughout their route;
- Enforces his physicality on opponents;
- Exceptionally strong for his size;
- Can stop and turn on a dime, when necessary;
- Nearly half of his college career interceptions were pick-sixes (four of nine).
Weaknesses
- Can be overly physical with receivers on longer routes, which leads to penalties;
- Needs to clean up his ability to play zone defense;
- Below the NFL cornerback average for height and weight;
- Transitioning to lateral footwork is a challenge;
- Is eluded by receivers on shallow crossing routes.
NFL Comparison: A yet, unproven Josiah Scott
Teams With Need At Position: Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders
Projection: Rounds 3-4
Bottom Line on Clark Phillips III
Phillips has a lot of appeal to NFL teams based on his strengths, alone. He stays with his opponents on their routes (for the most part) while reading the quarterback at all times. He is a very physical player and is exceptionally stronger than his 5′-10′, 184-pound frame would lead one to believe. He can stop and change direction flawlessly and efficiently and was an interception machine, during his time in Salt Lake City. What may deter scouts is that Phillips is below the NFL cornerback average in both height and weight. Additionally, he does not play a very good zone defense and has difficulty with his footwork when having to transition to lateral movements. He can be overly physical on longer routes and earn penalties as a result. Though he is fast, he does have difficulty staying with receivers on short shallow routes, particularly.
As impressive as his statistics are, had Phillips stayed at Utah for another season (of the likely, three more he was eligible for), he likely would have been a sure-fire first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Nevertheless, his physicality and prowess for being able to pick off passes and make them touchdowns will entice NFL teams to draft Phillips between rounds three and four.
Main Photo: Rob Gray – USA TODAY Sports
