From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Kentucky CB Andru Phillips.
#23 Andru Phillips/CB Kentucky – 5106, 190 pounds (Redshirt Sophomore)
COMBINE
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Andru Phillips | 5106/190 | 8 3/4″ | 31 1/4″ | 75″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.48 | 1.57 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 11’3″ | 42″ | N/A |
THE GOOD
– Versatility to play slot or outside cornerback
– Really good size for the slot position
– Tough, nasty player who has a nose for the football
– Powerful tackler who drives through guys to the ground
– Explosive and springy athlete with serious vertical leaping ability
– Has fast feet and comes downhill in a hurry
– Stays low in his backpedal to generate explosiveness and fluidity from his lower half
– Opens his hips well and mirrors receivers in timing
– Enough speed to carry deep threats vertically
– Plays the receiver’s hands when he doesn’t get his head around
– Quick to click and close on short routes
– Attacks screens and flat routes with a vengeance
– Will take on any and all blockers that get in his way
– Terrific mindset for run support in a cornerback
THE BAD
– Attempts to be aggressive with receivers early in the route often don’t work
– Allows receivers to get past him in off-man coverage because of eye discipline
– Can be too handsy and panics throughout vertical routes if beaten
– Gives too much cushion in off-man coverage, but some of that could be the scheme
– Needs to get his head around to locate the ball in the air on deep shots
– Taller, bigger receivers may be able to box him out downfield
– Trusting his technique instead of trying to read the receiver in man coverage
– Gets caught stalling or stuttering coming out of drop coverage at times
– Consistent angle pursuit in space on his tackling so he’s not leaving his feet so much
– Doesn’t have consistent instincts and anticipation to jump routes or make plays on the ball
– Wasn’t used as a blitzer hardly at all, which was odd with his playing style
BIO
– 1,105 snaps (all but 32 snaps were in the past two years) total in 4 seasons according to PFF
– Logged the following snaps for each position: 552 outside CB (426 this past year), 415 slot CB, 109 SS, and 22 off the edge
– 336 snaps as a core special teams player
– Started 16 games and played in 38 games total for Kentucky University
– 82 total tackles, 19 missed tackles, 3 TFLs, 10 PDs, 0 INTs, 4 TDs allowed, six penalties, one sack, 0 FFs in 4 years of play
– 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl invitee
– 2022 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
– Accused but cleared of first-degree burglary in 2021
– 3-star recruit, according to Rivals.com from Mauldin HS in Mauldin, S.C
– Amassed 38 tackles, 8 PDs, 2 INTs, and a fumble recovery in his senior year
– 5A First-Team All-State honors from the South Carolina Football Coaches Association
– Lettered three times as a triple jumper in track and field, ranking first nationally in 2020
– Earned two All-State and three All-Region selections in the triple jump
– Phillips’ father (Carlos) is a former Kentucky linebacker
– His brother (C.J.) played football at Morehead State from 2012-2016 and was a Second-Team All-Pioneer Football League selection in his final season
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Andru Phillips has had an interesting four years at Kentucky University, where almost all of his playing time occurred over the past two years. Although he played every game in 2022, he was mostly a high-level rotational player at the slot cornerback position, with some time as a boundary cornerback. This past year, he played mostly at the boundary and was deployed full-time. Phillips is a very physical player at the line of scrimmage and loves to get up close and personal with guys in press coverage. His tenaciousness shows up the most as a run defender from the slot and off the edge, where he’s able to cannonball himself at runners, stop screens, and make tackles.
He is #23 for Kentucky in all the following clips in this profile. Buckle up your chinstrap.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 10, 2024
Phillips is at best when in off-man or zone coverage on passing downs. When he has help over the top or is allowed to sit on underneath routes, he can showcase his physical and athletic talents.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 10, 2024
The guy doesn’t allow yards after the catch very often.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 10, 2024
The biggest issue with his tackling in passing-down situations is when he’s beaten and tries to lunge at receivers, leaving his feet too often to make desperate attempts (15 missed tackles this past season). His tackling was much better in 2022, where he mostly stayed in the short area of the field. Phillips has pretty good playing speed, but his lack of recovery and elite vertical speed will cause him to lose faster receivers deep. This didn’t happen very often in games, but some teams tested him more vertically than others this past year. He performs best when he has help over the top and is able to play in underneath coverage.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 10, 2024
His lack of starting experience is evident in his spatial awareness on the field and the timing of his tackles. He takes a lot risks in zone coverage that causes him to lose guys spatially. Kentucky’s scheme didn’t help matters, and to be honest, he has a lot more potential on the boundary than this year allowed him to show. He often face-guarded guys down the and doesn’t have great technique in turning his head to the ball and timing his high-point to make a play on the ball.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 10, 2024
At the NFL level, he’ll need to get his head around instead of watching the WR down the field, but his track background really shows up in his leaping ability (42” vertical) to either swat balls away or disrupt the catch radius. He is a nuisance to deal with if he stays with you.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 10, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 10, 2024
You wish he had more production at getting his hands on the ball. This is a very teachable thing, and he really only has one year of experience on the boundary. The other noticeable area of development for him is turning on his breaks fluidly hip-wise to match receivers and getting too handsy when they’re trying to separate. Phillips is slow transitioning at times and allows too much separation to more fluid route runners. He matches up really well with slot receivers and tight ends in the slot. Teams didn’t test him a whole lot in 2022, as he was one of the elite slot CBs in the country.
Saving the best for last would have to be his tackling and closing speed to the ball. Phillips comes at receivers and runners with a blitzkrieg of energy and power. This often overwhelms guys from even attempting to get away from him and he’s not afraid at all to take on any and all blockers. When he tackles someone, it is with a relentlessness and physicality that is palpable when you see it. There is a ton of force generated when he comes in to contact with guys. In their 2022 bowl game against Iowa, their tight ends really gave them a lot of problems because of their size, but watch Phillips spear one of them here when no one else could get him down, giving up almost 60 lbs. in weight.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 10, 2024
If you thought that was great, check out the next clip where he not only meets the offensive linemen in the hole but then blows him up and continues in pursuit to put pressure on the quarterback to throw an incompletion. This guy simply has no fear of anyone.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 10, 2024
He’s very explosive in his lower body to drive all the way through guys and uplift them if he needs to. No one wants to “get their face in the fan” more than Phillips. His open-field tackling is also very impressive. He goes through guys with a teach-tape technique often and uses his great upper body strength to literally throw guys to the ground. This may not always be effective in the NFL with bigger receivers and tight ends.
CONCLUSION
Andru Phillips is the prototypical slot cornerback that’s so important in today’s NFL with the versatility to cover all areas between the numbers, hover in the flat, blitz, and be a stout presence in run defense. He struggled more this year as an outside cornerback in man coverage, but he also has the traits to play that position better and more frequently in the future if a team sees that potential. He is still pretty new to playing on the boundary, and with better technique, he could definitely make a big jump with the right defensive backs coach and scheme.
I saw in an interview with Phillips that he’s been compared to Kenny Moore II of the Indianapolis Colts a lot in college, and I couldn’t agree with that sentiment more as he looks like his taller doppelganger out on the field. He is slightly taller than Moore, but both play the game very intelligently, explosively, and violently out of the slot position. Strong support in the run game and is able to stick with slot receivers and tight ends well. If Pittsburgh doesn’t decide to sign a slot defender in free agency, Phillips is a guy I could see them having an interest in with his outside corner and nickel flexibility. He’s one of the best slot cornerbacks in the draft, but there are a lot of teams that could use a guy like him in their secondary.
Projection: Mid-Late Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 7.8 – Rotational Player (3rd Round)
Games Watched: vs Missouri (2023), at Vanderbilt (2023) vs Georgia (2022), at Iowa (2022)
