Jaelan Phillips

Summary

Jaelan Everett Phillips (born May 28, 1999) is an American football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCLA for two seasons before medically retiring after the 2018 season due to sustaining several concussions and other injuries.

Jaelan Phillips
refer to caption
Phillips with the Dolphins in 2021
No. 15 – Miami Dolphins
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1999-05-28) May 28, 1999 (age 24)
Redlands, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:263 lb (119 kg)
Career information
High school:Redlands East Valley
College:
NFL draft:2021 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:146
Sacks:22.0
Pass deflections:5
Interceptions:1
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:3
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Phillips went on to study music production at the Los Angeles City College before transferring to the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in 2019, where he also made a return to football as a player for the Miami Hurricanes. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Early years edit

Phillips was born in Redlands, California, on May 28, 1999, and attended Redlands East Valley High School, where he finished with 264 tackles, 31.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions.[1] Considered the top high-school football prospect from the class of 2017, he received over 20 scholarship offers before committing to UCLA.[2]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jaelan Phillips
DE
Redlands, CA Redlands East Valley HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Apr 15, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 2 (WDE)  ESPN: 1 (OLB)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "UCLA Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.

College career edit

 
Phillips with UCLA in 2017

As a true freshman in 2017, Phillips played in seven games and recorded 21 tackles (seven for loss), 2 pass deflections, and 3.5 sacks.[3] As a sophomore in 2018, he played in four games before a concussion ended his season. After several other injuries, including being hit by a car while riding a moped, Phillips medically retired from football in December 2018 and enrolled at the Los Angeles City College to study music production.[4][5][6]

In 2019, Phillips transferred to the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami with the intent to also play football for the Hurricanes.[5][7] He sat out of the 2019 season due to NCAA transfer rules but started in 2020, finishing with 45 tackles, eight sacks, and an interception. He was named a second-team All-American and All-ACC and was considered a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award. He chose to forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility and enter the 2021 NFL Draft.

Professional career edit

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 5+12 in
(1.97 m)
260 lb
(118 kg)
33+14 in
(0.84 m)
9+34 in
(0.25 m)
4.57 s 1.59 s 2.69 s 4.18 s 7.13 s 36 in
(0.91 m)
10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)
21 reps
All values from Pro Day[8][9][10]

Phillips was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the first round (18th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft.[11] He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $14 million, on June 9, 2021.[12]

As a rookie, Phillips appeared in all 17 games and started four in the 2021 season. He had 8.5 sacks, 42 total tackles (23 solo), and one pass defended.[13] In the 2022 season, he had seven sacks, 61 tackles (37 solo), two passes defended, and one forced fumble.[14]

NFL career statistics edit

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season edit

Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL FF FR Yds Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2021 MIA 17 5 42 23 19 8.5 9 0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2022 MIA 17 15 61 37 24 7.0 8 1 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2
2023 MIA 8 6 43 28 15 6.5 7 0 0 0 1 5 5.0 5 0 2
Career 42 26 146 88 58 22.0 24 1 3 0 1 5 5.0 5 0 5

References edit

  1. ^ "Jaelan Phillips' High School Football Stats". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "Jaelan Phillips, Redlands East Valley , Weak-Side Defensive End". 247Sports. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  3. ^ "Jaelan Phillips 2017 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  4. ^ Bonagura, Kyle (December 5, 2018). "UCLA linebacker Jaelan Phillips retires following injuries". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Perez, Amanda. "For 'Canes defensive lineman, playing field includes football and music". news.miami.edu. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Perez, Amanda (October 8, 2020). "'It's surreal to be back': Former top recruit Jaelan Phillips finds second chance at Miami". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Aschoff, Edward (February 22, 2019). "Former UCLA linebacker Jaelan Phillips transferring to Miami". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  8. ^ "NFL Draft Prospect Profile - Jaelan Phillips". nfl.com. March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  9. ^ "Miami DE Jaelan Phillips : 2021 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Jaelan Phillips 2021 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  11. ^ Goodbread, Chase (April 29, 2021). "Dolphins select Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle, Miami DE Jaelan Phillips in first round". NFL.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  12. ^ Deen, Safid (June 9, 2021). "Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips signs rookie contract". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  13. ^ "Jaelan Phillips 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  14. ^ "Jaelan Phillips 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 30, 2023.

External links edit

  • Jaelan Phillips on Twitter
  • Miami Dolphins bio
  • Miami Hurricanes bio
  • UCLA Bruins bio