2015 Dolphins grades: Jordan Phillips

When the Miami Dolphins spent a second round pick on Jordan Phillips in the 2015 draft, many fans and some in the media shook their heads. Phillips has high end talent but had a reputation for being lazy in college.

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Jordan Phillips – defensive tackle

2016 salary – $991,000

In 2015 Phillips played a total of 443 snaps. 74 less than Earl Mitchell. He graded out poorly ranking as the 105th defensive tackle according to Profootballfocus.com. His overall grade placed him at 59.6. he was horrible against the run grading out just over 37 and was just shy of 70 in pass rush.

On the season Phillips had 19 tackles, 14 of them solo. He added two sacks with one of those coming in the first week of the season. Phillips underperformed which was partly due to the coaching through camp. It’s well documented that former coach Joe Philbin did not like to play his rookies often and that was the case early for Phillips who didn’t start seeing snaps consistently until after Philbin was let go.

2015 grade – D

Why a D?

When active, Phillips was sub-par especially given his draft position. Like Mitchell, Phillips was unable to take advantage of Suh’s help on the defensive line. His grade reflects playing time as well. With Mitchell struggling, Phillips was unable to beat him out of his starting job. Phillips started in place of Mitchell in the final four weeks of the season after Mitchell was hurt.

The biggest question surrounding Phillips is can he be good enough to replace Earl Mitchell? The Dolphins have Mitchell at a reasonable cap number in 2015 but his production doesn’t warrant a starting role. Miami has to get more production and development from their draft picks and Phillips is one of those players that needs to turn the corner in 2016.

The remaining defensive lineman.

Deandre Coleman saw limited action in 2015. He appeared in four games and made four tackles total. No other defensive tackle made an impact or appearance worthy of grading. Coleman does not receive a grade either.