MD FB's "freak" making draft noise...

[keithbooth22]

Maryland football's 'freak' is making big NFL Draft noise​

Jordan Phillips quietly was a solid performer for Maryland football in the two seasons after he transferred from Tennessee. But he didn't flash often, in part because most of…​

Jordan Phillips quietly was a solid performer for Maryland football in the two seasons after he transferred from Tennessee. But he didn't jump off the screen often, in part because most of his job as Maryland's nose tackle involved taking on blockers and freeing the linebackers.

After an impressive performance in practice leading up to this week's Shrine Bowl, though, Phillips' name is no longer flying under the national radar.

"Who will be the highest-drafted non-QB from this year's East-West Shrine Bowl? Maryland DT Jordan Phillips might get my vote. Power-packed and twitched up to create serious knock back at the POA. Fluid 320-pounder. Still just 20-years-old," The Athletics' Dane Brugler posted on X on Friday.

On Monday morning, Brugler added: "DT Jordan Phillips continuing to dominate EW Shrine practices."

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Phillips, who totaled 57 total tackles and 2.5 TFLs in 22 starts the past two seasons, would've been the top player on Maryland's defense next season, but opted to declare for the Draft in December. A refresher:

A 6-3, 320-pound redshirt sophomore from Orlando, Phillips chose Tennessee over Maryland as a high school recruit before transferring to Maryland after one season in Knoxville. Although his production didn't fully meet the hype that built around him during the offseason, he was a steady presence in the middle of Maryland's defense during both seasons, rankings first or second among Maryland's linemen in both seasons with 57 total tackles.

It's no surprised Phillips has what NFL scouts are seeking. Last summer, he made Bruce Feldman's annual list of college football's biggest freak athletes. From that list:

Mike Locksley didn't have to think too long when asked about Maryland's biggest freak: It's the 6-3, 320-pound sophomore who began his career at Tennessee.
"This kid is a manchild," Locksley said. "He's explosive. He's (former Alabama star-turned-first rounder who was No. 11 on the 2016 Freaks List) Daron Payne. He's a nose tackle, but he's light and so twitchy."
Phillips, a former standout wrestler and weightlifter in high school, started 10 games last year for the Terps, making 28 tackles and 1.5 TFLs. He has squatted 665 pounds, power cleaned 365 and did an overhead press of 365 pounds for two reps.
Phillips lit up when hearing that Locksley compared him to Payne. "I love Daron Payne," Phillips said. "That is one of my favorite players. I actually study him a lot now that he plays for the Commanders. He's very athletic. Has great short-area quickness and is very twitchy at the line of scrimmage and has that ability to create knock-back and get in the backfield."

If Phillips is picked high, it would provide a good sales pitch in recruiting for defensive coordinator-defensive line coach Brian Williams. Maryland defensive back Glen Miller is also playing in the Shrine Bowl, Thursday in Arlington, Tex.

Via Pro Football Network:

"Phillips is one of the more naturally gifted defensive tackles in the class. He's well-proportioned, explosive, and young. The ferocity he shows in extension is admirable, and his horizontal athleticism was clear in 2024 when he faced a bevy of wide-zone Big Ten schools ... The Maryland nose tackle will almost certainly need a multi-year runway before becoming a difference-maker in the NFL. From a physical perspective, there's practically nothing the interior defender can't accomplish. Phillips is stout, violent, explosive, fluid, and endlessly balanced.

Phillips will look incredible when given the green light to attack. If placed in a proactive, downhill gap-penetrating scheme, he could be disruptive yet inconsistent early in his career. There's simply too much buffering at the snap to be a consistent run defender at the NFL level in Year 1."

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