Pittsburgh may have temporarily solved their outside cornerback problem with Carolina’s Donte Jackson, acquired in the Diontae Johnson deal. But there’s still a vacancy sign at slot corner, an area the Steelers have done their homework on throughout the pre-draft process. Kentucky’s Andru Phillips is one of those names. While many initially viewed him as a third or fourth rounder, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo points a different picture.
As he tweeted out Sunday night, Phillips has had a long list of pre-draft visits with teams, including a recent meeting with the Steelers. And according to him, scouts love his game, viewing him as a second round pick who even has some first round grades.
Phillips played among the most slot snaps of anyone in college football last season, 2024 draft prospects or not. His career production is curiously light, just ten pass breakups and zero interceptions the last two seasons, with only three tackles for a loss against the run over that span.
But steam has been picking up on Phillips where he impressed with great workout numbers. Measuring in at 5116, 190 pounds, he blazed a 4.48 40 with a ridiculous 42-inch vertical and 11’3″ broad jump. At his Pro Day, his agility drills were also strong, a 4.29 short shuttle and 6.98 three cone, suggesting loose hips and fluidity needed to cover the entire field and route tree from the slot.
Our scouting report was a mixed bag, noting Phillips’ explosiveness and run support but also dinging him for penalties and difficulty finding the ball in the air, leading to a lack of interceptions. Our Jim Hester put a third round grade on him though still comparing him favorably to the Indianapolis Colts’ Kenny Moore, regarded as a top slot corner in the game.
Garafolo isn’t the only one to make such a claim about Phillips. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler called him one of his favorite players in the draft and believed he wouldn’t make it out of the Top 64. Brugler compared him to former Auburn CB Roger McCreary and ranked Phillips 61st overall on his Top 100. If Pittsburgh wants him, it sounds like he’ll have to be their pick at N0. 51, a spot fans have typically reserved for Michigan’s Mike Sainristil. Most mocks still consider Phillips a third-rounder but that’s likely to shift closer to Round One kicking off on April 25.
Beyond those two, the Steelers have also done homework on Rutgers Max Melton and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean. Melton is more likely to be taken in the third round while DeJean is a sleeper fist round candidate.
Check out our entire report on Phillips below.
