Jaelan
Phillips.
Jaelan
Phillips.
Miami (FL)· 6'5"· 260 lb· 4.56s 40
"The medical file is the entire evaluation. If the neck holds, the tape is a top-five edge; if it doesn't, this becomes one of the shortest first-round careers of the decade."Pre-draft read
He aligns as an edge defender, demonstrating a top-tier first-step burst. His hand technique is refined, utilizing chop-swims, cross-chops, and arm-overs, always with a secondary attack plan if the initial move is ineffective. He effectively converts speed into power, employing a dip-and-rip maneuver to get under the offensive tackle's set point.
His movement skills allow him to win with legitimate arc bend, translating to success on speed rushes. He projects to play across various fronts, including 4-3 base end, 3-4 stand-up outside linebacker, and reduced-end sub-packages, indicating broad scheme versatility.
Even front 4-3 pass-rush scheme where edge rushers are prioritized for their ability to generate pressure on the quarterback.
Immediate impact pass rusher with a long-term projection as a Pro Bowl caliber edge defender, provided health.
Two-gap 3-4 defense that relies on edges to consistently anchor against powerful run schemes.
Phillips offers elite pass-rushing traits and versatility, but his extensive medical history remains the primary concern for his long-term NFL career.
Jaelan Phillips — Miami Hurricanes DL — 2020 Highlights
Jaelan Phillips Pro Day Highlight — 3.29.21
Jaelan Phillips (Miami) Film Session — 2021 NFL Draft
This prospect presented as a high-risk, high-reward edge defender due to his significant medical history balanced against his on-field production and elite athletic profile. A team acquiring him was betting on his ability to remain healthy and translate his advanced pass-rush skills to the professional level, with the understanding that his 9.42 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) and refined technique offered a top-tier ceiling.
After medically retiring from UCLA in 2018 following multiple concussions, he transferred to Miami and sat out a year. In his sole full season as a starter at Miami in 2020, he recorded 15.5 tackles for loss and 8 sacks in 10 games, earning first-team All-ACC honors. This single year of Power-5 production, combined with his pro day metrics, provided the on-field evidence for his top-of-round grade.
Evaluators were primarily concerned with the extensive medical file, which included the retirement and a relatively thin body of work for a high draft pick. Despite these red flags, his pure tape and athletic upside placed him as a potential EDGE1 on some boards. He was ultimately selected 18th overall by the Miami Dolphins, who reportedly cleared his medicals with independent assessments.
- 01
Elite athleticism
Measures 6-foot-5, 260 pounds with a 4.56 forty, top percentile for edge athletes.
- 02
Exceptional burst
Demonstrates a top-tier first-step burst, winning with speed rushes and arc bend.
- 03
Advanced hand technique
Refined chop-swims, cross-chops, and arm-overs with secondary attack plans.
- 04
Productive 2020 season
Recorded 15.5 tackles for loss and 8 sacks in 10 games at Miami.
- 05
Scheme versatility
Projects to play 4-3 DE, 3-4 OLB, and reduced-end in sub-packages effectively.
- 01
Extensive medical history
Medically retired from UCLA in 2018 due to multiple concussions.
- 02
Durability projection risk
Full career pause, multiple concussions, and a scooter accident create risk.
- 03
Limited sample size
Only one full season of starter tape (2020) at the Power-5 level.
- 04
Anchor against power
Functional but not elite anchor against power tackles, limiting every-down role.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.56sp50
- Vertical
- 36inp50
- Broad jump
- 125inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 21repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | UCLA | 7 | 21 | 3.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | UCLA | 4 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Miami | 10 | 45 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Career | — | 21 | 86 | 11.5 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Quality starting edge whose pressure, effort and run defense matter even if the sack totals settle below elite.
Complete edge defender with violence, bend, run-game value and the competitive temperament to anchor a front for years.
If the medical file or play strength undermines the traits, the pass-rush flashes never become dependable starter impact.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
2021 (rookie, MIA): 8.5 sacks, 42 tackles, 12 TFL — All-Rookie honorable, 82 PFF grade. 2022: 7 sacks, 37 QB pressures, 82 PFF grade — top-20 EDGE. 2023: 6.5 sacks in 8 games, 88 PFF grade before tearing his right Achilles in Week 11 — season-ending. 2024: return Week 4, 4 sacks in 8 games, then left Achilles in Week 12 — second straight season-ending injury. MIA declined the fifth-year option. March 2025: signed MIA 1-year/$10M prove-it. 2025: return year after two Achilles tears, cautious rotational role. Career_av: 22.
Phillips is the purest risk/reward evaluation in the 2021 top-20, and the post-draft story has proven both sides of the analysis correct at the same time. The 2020 Miami tape is pure EDGE1: 15.5 TFL and 8 sacks in 10 games with hand technique, first-step burst and a secondary plan no other EDGE in the class had at his level. Kwity Paye was the consensus "safe" pick at #21, Gregory Rousseau had more size, Azeez Ojulari was younger — but rep-for-rep against North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Duke, Phillips won with chop-swim, cross-chop and arm-over as if he had five years of NFL reps already. The speed-to-power conversion — dip-and-rip under the OT's anchor point — is among the best seen in the 2019-2022 classes. The pro day validated the athleticism: 4.56 forty at 260 lbs with a 9.42 RAS.
The bear case was entirely medical. An official 2018 UCLA medical retirement for multiple concussions is a structural warning — not a minor data point but a clinical event the NFL rarely ignores in the first round. Miami ran background with independent doctors before the #18 pick, and reporting from Karen Guregian and Barry Jackson indicated the team's medical staff gave a unanimous green light.
The likely comp was always a combination of Uchenna Nwosu (realized version — productive EDGE with a top-15 ceiling) and Aaron Maybin in his talent-never-realized version. The high was Terrell Suggs: EDGE with hand technique and a secondary plan who became a Hall of Famer. The post-draft arc hit its prime ceiling before injuries cut it off. Rookie 2021: 8.5 sacks, 42 tackles, 82 PFF grade — All-Rookie honorable. 2022: 7 sacks, 37 QB pressures, 82 PFF grade — consolidated as a top-20 EDGE in year two. 2023: 6.5 sacks in 8 games with a 88 PFF grade before tearing his right Achilles in Week 11 vs. NYJ — season-ending. 2024: return in Week 4, 4 sacks in 8 games, then tore his left Achilles in Week 12 vs. GB — another season-ending injury, two Achilles in consecutive seasons on his dominant leg.
Contract situation was catastrophic: MIA didn't exercise the fifth-year option in 2024 before the second injury. He signed a 1-year prove-it with MIA in March 2025 for $10M. The pre-Achilles career was a top-10 EDGE in the sport; the post-Achilles career is a total unknown. It was a correct pick that injuries never let confirm as a long-term star.