Broncos Draft Prospect: DT Jordan Phillips, OU
By Tylor Walden
Sep 6, 2014; Tulsa, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (80) causes and recovers a fumble in front of Tulsa Golden Hurricane quarterback Dane Evans (9) during the first half at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos are continuing to improve their defense. With the team transitioning to the 3-4, the Broncos are in a need of a nose tackle to fill in the void left by Terrance Knighton. If the Broncos’ offensive linemen prospects are gone, it might not be a bad idea to go to the defensive side of the ball in round one.
Jordan Phillips, who is one of my favorite first round prospects on the defensive side of the football, could be an interesting prospect to go to the Broncos at 28th overall in the draft. Despite the fact that he only started 17 games during his time at Oklahoma University, he has emerged as one of the better defensive prospects in this years draft. Let’s take a look at what Jordan Phillips has to offer.
One of the biggest things that I saw from Jordan Phillips is his ability to penetrate the middle of the offensive line and disrupt either the quarterback or the ball carrier running the football. Not only does his ability to create gaps in the offensive line help him get to the ball carrier, it also allows the linebackers behind him to shoot through the holes and either sack the quarterback or lay a hit on the ball carrier.
The speed he provides on his feet is quite remarkable too. Once he has broken a block, he will relentlessly attack the ball carrier and bring him down by whatever means necessary. His nimble footwork is quite remarkable and for his size he has quite a bit of speed.
As far as the places that he needs work, his durability to play 60 minutes of football comes into play. At times he will be solid to start the game and then be almost a non-factor for a stretch. Jordan Phillips has to be able to play a complete football game in order to really unleash his potential.
He also has trouble with the pass rush, but normally how he counters that is creating holes so that someone like a Danny Trevathan or Brandon Marshall can get between the offensive line and take the quarterback down. But having an effective pass rusher on the defensive line could benefit him and further expand on his abilities.
Jordan Phillips could be a great addition to the Broncos roster with his ability to create holes for the linebackers and disrupt the ball carrier. Just plug him into defensive tackle position and let him do his thing. It may not be such a bad idea to draft him either because of the limited depth at the position. If he can be quite a dominating player in the league once he gets the ball rolling. I’m excited to see what he has to offer.