Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford: 2018 NFL Scouting Report

Harrison Phillips is one of the most underrated defensive players in the 2018 NFL Draft, but he shouldn’t be due to his incredible production.

It’s quite rare to see a defensive tackle accumulate over 100 tackles, let alone lead the team in that category. Stanford defensive tackle Harrison Phillips did just that during 2017.

The All-Pac-12 and All-American finished the year with an astonishing 103 tackles, including 17 for loss, and 7.5 sacks. He was the only defensive lineman in all FBS to finish with over 100 tackles, proving his impact on the Cardinal’s defense.

A Nebraska native, Phillips was voted the high school boys player of the year and a leading recruit in the state. He committed to Stanford and had a slow freshman season.

In 2015, he was forced to medically redshirt after tearing his ACL early in the year. Despite the injury, Phillips showed no signs of slowing down. Phillips finished 2016 with 46 tackles, including 10 for loss, and seven sacks.

The production obviously continued in 2017, making him one of the more dominating defensive lineman in the country. He’s extremely underrated, not often mentioned when discussing the top prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft, but should be viewed as an early round pick.

Measurables

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 295 lbs

Home State: Nebraska

Class: Senior

Strengths

The first thing that jumps off the page for Phillips is the level of productivity. He does things at the position that is outside the normal curve. Totaling 100+ tackles is a feat, in and of itself, but the ability to make 17 of those tackles in the backfield and sack the quarterback 7.5 times is incredible.

Phillips is a high-energy and high-effort player. He plays with the kind of motor and intensity every defensive coordinator salivates for.

He fights on every snap and doesn’t quit, even after the whistle. He’s a strong player who plays with good hands and does a nice job getting off his blocks. He’s shown solid versatility, playing all over the Stanford defensive line. Extremely disruptive player.

A top run defender in this class. Very high character kid who works with two non-profit organizations on a weekly basis helping disadvantaged kids and feeding the homeless.

Weaknesses

There aren’t a lot of reasons to hesitate on picking Phillips. He doesn’t have the same athleticism or speed as other prospects at the position. Fights through blocks and is excellent in pursuit, but the lack of speed shows up if the play gets behind him.

He tends to play a bit stiff, lacking the fluidity to be effective in space. While he does a nice job getting into the backfield, quarterbacks can elude him once they get into more open space.

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Overall

Harrison Phillips is one of my favorite players in this draft. There is so much to like about his skill set and there still developing he can go through to become even better. Phillips is a fit for both 4-3 and 3-4 schemes and should intrigue most defenses around the league, especially those looking to improve against the run (i.e. Cowboys, Packers, etc.).

Look for Phillips to come up at the start of the second round, should be a surefire Day 2 pick with the potential to move up if someone falls in love with the combination of off-field character and on-field effort & intensity.

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