Route Running: Phillips is a crafty and talented short game route runner. He’s quick and explosive out of his breaks and does a good job sinking his hips consistently. I think he gets a little too fancy sometimes and his down the field route runner needs some work.
Blocking: Phillips was given a heavy workload in this area. He took some reps as an H-Back and was used as a lead blocker on some power concepts. Obviously, I wouldn’t expect an NFL to ask that of him, but his toughness and willingness to block will earn him some fans.
Contested Catch Ability: This isn’t really Phillips’ game. He doesn’t have a ton of size and failed to haul in a couple of passes that were super outside of his frame.
Separation: Phillips is a tremendous natural separator in the short to intermediate areas of the field. He’s quick at the top of his routes and capable of taking the ankles of cornerbacks. He’s fast enough to separate with crossing routes too.
Ball Skills: Phillips displays good ball skills for the position. He can finish through contact over the middle and never looks like he’s fighting the ball. He’s a little limited with his radius though, so I wouldn’t expect him to make a ton of acrobatic catches.
Beating Press: Phillips didn’t see a ton of press playing as a PAC-12 slot. He’s clearly got the quickness to win at the line of scrimmage, but there isn’t a ton of proof he can do it against NFL caliber talent.
YAC: Solid YAC player with the quickness and toughness to create for himself after the catch. He can make defenders miss in space and is harder to bring down than he looks. He’s not going to go around making crazy touchdown runs, but he’s smart and understands how to use his tools.
Ball Tracking: Phillips wasn’t given a lot of chances to work tracking the ball deep. The few he did get, showed a player who could adequately track the ball at the NFL level.
Long Speed: Phillips was a timed 4.46 runner in the summer, but I’m not sure I see that on film. He doesn’t separate a ton vertical and looks quicker than fast to me. Either way, I think he checks the box at the very least.
Versatility: Phillips was moved around a ton for the Bruins, but I’m not sure he sees a ton of versatility in the NFL. He projects best as a pure slot who wins from 20 yards and within.
Summary: Phillips was a standout from this year’s East-West Shrine Game, and his film backs up his performance at the event pretty well. He’s an explosive and crafty route runner who is phenomenal at winning in the short areas of the field against both man and zone coverage. He’s a physical player for his size and provides good ability after the catch.
The question is whether Phillips offers anything more than being a slot/ kick return option. That can get him into the league as a productive player, but there is a bit of a cap on his ceiling.
Filed By: Dante Collinelli, Director of Scouting
Twitter: @DanteCollinelli