Andru Phillips, CB, Kentucky
Size:
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 190 pounds
Arm Length: 31 1/4"
Hand Size: 8 3/4"
Accomplishments:
3-star recruit
“Andru Phillips is a CB with inside/outside versatility who brings the toughness, instincts, and positional flexibility to be an impact defender.”
Strengths:
Athletic explosiveness
Positional flexibility
Toughness in run support
Pre-snap alignment/leveraging
Concerns:
Missed tackles
Ball production (zero ints)
Locating the ball downfield
Film Analysis:
Run support is questionable with plenty of CBs but not Andru Phillips. He is a willing and ready participant to spring into action to help out close to the line of scrimmage. He quickly squeezes and leverages gaps, not surrendering the outside/perimeter easily. Phillips plays with unteachable effort. His pursuit of the football to attempt touchdown-saving plays from behind the play.
In coverage, Phillips is a versatile cover guy. He is skilled in both man and zone concepts. He is patient and confident in his ability to swarm the receiver at the breakpoint and create difficult catches. He plays through the hands of receivers well. Phillips has an explosive trigger to click and close on breaking routes. He uses pre-snap alignment to cut off access and limit the WR’s space to enter their route. He does a good job forcing receivers to the strength of his coverage.
In press-man alignment, there’s upside with Phillips. He did not operate out of it abundantly at Kentucky, but he showcased well at the Senior Bowl. His hands are quick and strong enough to disrupt timing and re-route WRs at the line of scrimmage in the contact window.
Despite being in a good position down the field, Phillips will play the WR instead of turning and locating the football. This is coachable and with consistency, he can make more plays on the ball. Throughout his career, he has not secured a single interception. He can improve his tackling—he was charted for 15 missed tackles in 2023. Phillips will dive at the feet of the ball-carrier instead of squaring up his target and driving from his base. He can be a bit grabby due to his aggressiveness in the contact window in press alignment. He has to find that balance with controlled aggression.
Overall, Phillips projects as a developmental cornerback with starter upside. I believe he is best suited for a more man-coverage defense where he can further develop his technique and potential play-making ability. He gives outside and nickel cornerback flexibility.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits
Written By: Damian Parson
Exposures: Georgia (2023), Florida (2023), Tennessee (2023), Clemson (2023), South Carolina (2023)
