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The New York Giants were among the dregs of the league against the run in 2014. Mind you, that was with Jason Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins, two elite players against the run. The left side of their line was simply devoid of talent and it was clear that more work needs to be done to add to the defensive line to make it menacing again.
Let's take a look at Jordan Phillips, a monstrosity of a defensive tackle at 6-foot-5, 330 pounds:
Pros
- Frame and length an absolute monstrosity
- Plus first step speed to power conversion
- Effectively bench presses OL/good arm extension
- Can two gap easily and is a nightmare to run on
Cons
- Inconsistent; can disappear for long lengths, even games, at a time
- He doesn't really have a pass rush just yet
- Pad level, like all tall players, is heavily inconsistent and rises too much
- Motor runs hot and cold
Does He Fit With The Giants?
Yes, he's the definition of a two-gapping bull NT. The Giants could move Johnathan Hankins to under tackle and place the similarly large Phillips in at NT to plug up anything that moves. He's immensely strong at the point of attack and there are plenty of teams that have used two fat tackles to open things up for everybody else. It's certainly one way to "win at the LOS."
Prospect Video
Big Board Rankings
Big Blue View - 43
Mocking The Draft - 33
CBS Sports - 23
Draft Tek - 24
Final Thoughts
There's quite a few prognosticators who like Phillips in the first round. For me, I just cannot see a defensive tackle in the first round if he doesn't have much upside against the pass. Phillips does, especially as a bull rusher collapsing the pocket from the inside out, but he's just way too inconsistent. He's a solid mid-second rounder to maybe even early-third round, though I can see him going much earlier than that. I wouldn't be terribly upset if the Giants invested their second round pick on him, but he wouldn't be among my top choices at that time.