Mississippi running back Scottie Phillips (RB23) speaks to the media during the 2020 NFL Combine in the Indianapolis Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Scottie Phillips NFL Draft Portfolio
There may be no sports played anytime soon, but the NFL is still holding their draft and we're under one week out.
The 2020 NFL Draft is no longer in Las Vegas. Instead, it'll be held virtually with all coaches, general managers and teams operating remotely using virtual draft software. Still, players will be picked and franchises will be changed.
More importantly for some of these graduating seniors and players leaving college football early, lives will be altered in the next week to a tremendous degree.
With less than one week left until the draft, commencing with the first round on Thursday, April 23rd, it's time to take a look at the draft stock for eligible Ole Miss Rebels. Yesterday, we took at look at Benito Jones. Today? Scottie Phillips.
The No. 1 JUCO running back recruit out of the class of 2018, Phillips started 18 of 21 games he appeared in during his Ole Miss tenure.
In his first season in Oxford, playing as essentially the every down back, Phillips totaled 1,033 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns. As a senior, splitting time with freshman Jerrion Ealy in the backfield, his numbers dipped a bit to 619 yards and 6 touchdowns.
What did his NFL combine measurables look like?
- Height: 5'8" (8th percentile)
- Weight: 209 lbs (34th percentile)
- Arm length: 29 3/8 (6th percentile)
- Hand size: 8 1/2 (4th percentile)
- 40-yard dash: 4.56 seconds (47th percentile)
- Vertical jump: 30" (7th percentile)
- Broad jump: 114" (23rd percentile)
- 3-cone drill: 7.4 seconds (5th percentile)
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.53 (6th percentile)
- Bench Press: 29 reps (97th percentile)
NFL player comparison by testing numbers: Trayveon Williams, Jordan Scarlett
What are the experts saying?
- Lance Zierlein (NFL.com) - 5.89 grade (backup or special-teamer)
- "Competitive runner with a compact frame who can be elusive but should not be labeled as finesse. Phillips is an instinctive runner in space who can stack moves and burst laterally to circumvent tacklers. He's an experienced zone runner who can get to challenging cutback lanes but appears to be more comfortable as an outside runner than between the tackles. He could challenge for a spot as a RB3 but might need to prove he can handle special teams and/or third-down duties to improve his chances."
- Charlie Campbell (WalterFootball.com) - projecting 3rd to 5th round
- "Phillips is a short back who is very thick and strong and has some real power. He can flat out run over some tacklers with violence and shows a serious ability to pick up yards after contact. On top of his physicality, Phillips has a burst with quickness to the edge and speed to hit the hole before it closes. Phillips may not have the size to be a bell-cow back who is a true three-down starter in the NFL, but I know team sources who like him and think he could be a really good rotational back who offers a change of pace as shifty but strong back."
- Matt Miller (Bleacher Report) - the No. 22 ranked running back
- Maurice Jones-Drew (NFL.com) - the No. 21 ranked running back
- "Phillips was inconsistent at Ole Miss, but showed a lot of promise when he was on. When he flashed, the 5-8, 209-pounder showed great burst, was explosive and was a sure-fire threat out of the backfield."
Other Rebel draft portfolios:
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