Jae Phillips

Travis Wingfield @WingfieldNFL

Jaelan Phillips fact dump:

90th percentile or better in broad, shuttle and 40-yard dash. He registered a QB pressure every 6 pass rush snaps last season. He was the No. 1 overall HS recruit as a prep, a former TE, ran the 200-meters and threw the shotput.

Think about that for a second: a QB pressure every 6 pass rush snaps.  That is a mind-boggling stat.  If that translates to the NFL, we just got Jason Taylor 2.0.

Phillips is a huge addition.  The more I think about it, the more I like the selection.  Our pass rush was non-existent down the stretch, with AVG the only player consistently getting to the QB the last few games.  Adding Phillips will make Ogbah so much better, and having a legit pass rusher opens up a lot of possibilities for scheming.   Flores is probably drooling at the potential of this pick.

This D could be special.  The addition of McKinney in the middle - a true skullcrusher - and two pass-rushing DEs, with AVG coming from anywhere and everywhere and Jones and X locking down the back-end....WOW.  Pass rush and run D both improved.  That's huge.

Let's go Jae!  Never thought he'd drop to 18, but he's going to make Dolfans very happy.

I agree. With Phillips opposite Ogbah, the Phins will have a dangerous pass rush.

They may not even have to send other rushers to get to the QB. Meaning this helps the pass coverage even more.

The Waddle pick helped the offense, helped the special teams as Waddle is a dynamic returner, and having a WR that can juke and shake and bake defenders and is a threat to break it for a TD every time he touches the ball....

And Phillips made the defense notably better IMO.

IF these moves work out, Grier more than earned his paycheck this week!!

IMPACT, baby!!!

Just what the Doctor ordered for the Phins!!!

I don't use Waddle in the return game. Too much risk losing your most dynamic athlete on special teams.

CarsonChris wrote:I don't use Waddle in the return game. Too much risk losing your most dynamic athlete on special teams.

Yeah, that is something I was thinking about as well. I'd probably pick my spots with him and use him on specials at certain times, but not as a the full-time returner. It's a tough call, because he is so dynamic and can make a huge difference with field position - but you want him healthy.

Cris Collinsworth
@CollinsworthPFF
I know about the concussions, but UMiami’s @CanesFootball Jaelan Phillips is the best defensive player in this year’s draft. I don’t even think it is close.
5:25 PM · Apr 13, 2021

I feel like I'm in Bizarro World today, reading all the praise we're getting from the media for the Waddle and Phillips picks. I'm not used to this at all!

I think Saban came out and said that Waddle should have let that kick go and not tried to return it.

Waddle probably feels like he can take EVERY kick for a TD, but....

Waddle will be more valuable as a WR for sure. But he will probably be the bets kick returner on the team too.

Leave this up to Flores I guess.

I'm old enough to remember Troy Vincent's ACL tear on a kick return against Pittsburgh in 1993. No way do I use a top notch regular in the return game.

To add insult to the injury, our regular punt returner McDuffie returned one for a TD later in the same game. The injury may well have cost the 1993 team a playoff spot even without Marino.

Ah, the 1993 season...one of my most painful seasons as a Dolfan. I was on top of the world when we beat the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, sitting at 9-2 and looking like a contender even without Marino...and then we lost the final 5 games. That was devastating.

Dang! Why are you two dredging up painful memories when the Phins finally drafted some IMPACT players!!!

I just got an email from a friend who says he is hearing the Phins are not DONE on the Edge Rushers and may be looking to double up on the position!!

But who, and when?

At #36.... I saw a report that said the Phins were REALLY liking Ossai? Azeez Ojulari.... one of them ought to be there at #36, but I have a hard time thinking they will go back to back on Edge rushers!

At #50... Basham and Perkins might be there.... Reach for Weaver or Smith?

At #81.....Weaver and Smith MIGHT Be there, but one of them or both will probably be gone. That leaves Elerson Smith from N Iowa, Roche, Rashed, Patrick Jones, Odeyingbo from Vanderbilt, and Hayes and Ogundeji from ND.

If Smith is there, they might take him, but probably not. The others will be a big reach IMO.

At #156... Shaka Toney from Penn State, the two guys from FSU maybe... Cooper from OSU or maybe Patrick Johnson from Tulane. Patrick Johnson would be a good stand up pass rush specialist OLB IMO. Kinda high for all of these EDGE Rushers IMO.

After that... you may be looking for an Undrafted guy to bring in.

Of course, this could be one of those infamous smokescreens too. To keep the opposition from knowing how much the Phins want a RB, an OT, and an OC.