Draft Grade: Cleveland Browns bet on upside with Jacob Phillips selection
By Dan Justik
The Cleveland Browns focused on the defensive side of the ball on day two of the draft and finished the night with LSU linebacker Jacob Phillips.
With three selections on day two of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns put all of their eggs in the defensive basket. After selecting safety Grant Delpit and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, the Browns selected LSU linebacker Jacob Phillips with the No. 97 selection.
Phillips led the National Champion LSU Tigers with 113 total tackles in 15 games during the 2019 season. He also made 7.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and one pass defensed. In 2018, he made 87 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and three passes defensed in 12 games.
The Browns had a clear need at linebacker following the departures of Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey. Prior to the draft, Cleveland’s starting linebackers were expected to be Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki, with free agent signing B.J. Goodson being a rotational piece.
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Despite the selection of Phillips, the LSU Tiger may be best suited to join Goodson as a rotational piece in 2020. Phillips is a solid athlete who still needs to learn the linebacker position and needs to continue to improve his instincts.
Phillips is not afraid to come downhill and make tackles, and he rarely missed tackles with LSU. However, Phillips can be slow to react to plays and it puts him a step behind the play, forcing him to use his athleticism to try to finish plays. He will also need to improve in coverage, as once again his instincts create issues for him.
With the Browns needing to add to their linebacker room, the addition of Phillips addresses a key need for the Browns. So how does his selection grade out?
JacobPhillips. player. 53. Pick Analysis. Linebacker. LSU. C+. Scouting Report
Although Phillips produced for a National Champion defense, the Browns are purely betting on Phillips’ athleticism and upside. Without a proven producer in the NFL at linebacker, picking for upside at the position is not the best fit for the Browns defense in 2020.
If Phillips can quickly grow at the position and become more of an instinctual player instead of purely using his athleticism to make plays, this will become a better pick. However, Phillips will be tested in the NFL and his athleticism is not going to bail him out all the time against NFL offenses.
Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods prefers fast and athletic linebackers, so he may be able to utilize Phillips’ athleticism. If the Browns are comfortable with their current group of linebackers, allowing Phillips to not be on the field all the time, it could help develop his skills as a linebacker and hopefully help him make more of an impact in 2021.
dark. Next. Browns continue to build up defense, select Jacob Phillips
Phillips appears to be an all-or-nothing prospect, so this is a risky selection for the Browns. If Phillips is able to mesh his athleticism with improved football instincts learning from a NFL staff, he could become a steal. However, if his instincts do not rapidly improve, this selection could become a bust.