Heading into the 2020 college football season, Miami Hurricanes Epass rusher Greg Rousseau was considered the favorite to be the first pass-rusher taken in the 2021 NFL Draft. But Rousseau opted out of the season, which allowed another Hurricane to enter the conversation as EDGE1: Jaelan Phillips, whose on-field talent is undeniable, but whose injury history will negatively impact his stock in a big way.
What will Jaelan Phillips’ draft stock look like?
Phillips was the consensus No. 1 recruit in the 2017 class, and initially attended UCLA. In his two seasons there, Phillips appeared in 10 games, logging 4.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. His career in Los Angeles was marred by injury; severe wrist damage as a result of a moped accident, sprains of both ankles, and three separate concussions, the last of which forced him to medically retire from football.
After that happened, Phillips ventured into the music production industry, which ultimately led him to enroll at Miami, while keeping the door to return to football open. He didn’t play at all in 2019, but did put in the work to get back into playing shape.
Phillips was down to under 220 pounds during his time away from the sport. Now, he’s up in the 270-pound range and still almost looks like a safety running around on the field. In 10 games with the Hurricanes in 2020, Phillips totaled eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. His elite athleticism was on display in every game, and he finally began to reach the immense potential that he’s always had.
From a physical standpoint, Phillips has all the makings of a top-10 pick, and has a year of great production to go along with his measurables. There are plenty of mock drafts and big boards floating around that have him going in the first round, and going very high. Phillips the on-field player is certainly worth taking with a top pick.
Looking at injury history of Jaelan Phillips
The problem is that Phillips could be one hit away from being out of football forever. Each successive concussion makes it easier to get another, and Phillips has already had three, and has already retired once due to those brain injuries.
An argument can be made that the NFL doesn’t really care all that much about player safety. However, a team sinking valuable draft capital into a player with a significant injury history, especially when those injuries are concussions, is a completely different story.
Injuries are the worst part about contact sports, and the NFL’s battle with concussions over the past decade has been an ugly one in the public relations realm. They are a very serious injury, and that’s before considering the long-term links to CTE.
Given all that, it seems highly unlikely that any team would be willing to invest a first-round pick into Phillips, even though he’d be more than worth it if he were able to avoid further injury. Even the second round seems like a massive risk for a player who could be out of the league before he even plays a game.
It’s depressing, but Phillips’ concussion history puts a massive damper on his stock, and it’s not something he’s even in control of.