Clark Phillips III, CB Utah: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Phillips was a four-star recruit from La Habra High School in La Habra, Calif. in the class of 2020

Utah Utes cornerback Clark Phillips III is one of the 30 most talented players in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s currently tied for the FBS lead in interceptions and is in line to earn All-American honors. His size could prevent him from being a first round pick, but Phillips’ athleticism and instincts are top-notch.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more updates and previews of the 2023 NFL Draft Guide.

Clark Phillips III, CB Utah: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Third year sophomore outside cornerback from Lakewood, Calif.

Background: Phillips was a four-star recruit from La Habra High School in La Habra, Calif. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 51 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 67 for Rivals, and No. 51 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 90th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, Phillips totaled 28 tackles, four interceptions, and seven passes defended on defense and 30 receptions for 435 yards and ten touchdowns on offense. He tallied 18 tackles, two interceptions, ten passes defensed, 54 receptions, 1,210 yards, and 19 touchdowns as a junior. As a sophomore, the four-star recruit produced 26 tackles, seven interceptions, 15 passes defensed, 127 rushing yards on eight carries, and 153 total return yards on kicks and punts. Phillips was the 2019 Orange County Defensive Player of the Year and earned First-Team All-County honors three times. He was the Freeway League Player of the Year as a junior. USA TODAY High School Sports selected Phillips from a national pool of high schoolers as a First-Team defensive player in 2019. He originally committed to Ohio State before switching to Utah. Phillips also received offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, and Washington. He has two sisters and a brother.

2021 Production: 14 games, 61 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions, 13 passes defensed, 1 touchdown

2020 Production: 5 games, 25 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, 2 passes defensed, 1 touchdown

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2021 Second-Team All-Pac-12

Pros: Experience playing outside and in the slot, consistent ball production, special teams snaps on the punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, quick to read the quarterback’s eyes and trigger on short throws, squeezes wide receivers along the sideline, appears to have adequate but not elite arm length, quick foot speed in backpedal, reads the quarterback’s eyes and looks for routes to jump, anticipation/instincts and closing speed/burst to undercut routes, terrific reaction time, excellent ball-tracking skills and hands, sniffs out and makes plays on wide receiver screens, acceleration to break away for pick-sixes or stay on the hips of wide receivers, sticky at the top of routes, feet are light and fast, physically contests at the catch point, effortlessly changes directions, excellent agility, body control, no issues or tightness when flipping his hips, makes PBUs around the receiver without interfering, athleticism to mirror receivers

Cons: Penalized three times in 2021, lacking size, might be a slot-only NFL player, missed tackles are a concern, not a sure open-field tackler, struggles to disengage from blocks, needs to show more urgency when carrying players in motion across the formation, limited contributions and upside as a run defender, deep speed is good but not elite, few to no reps in press coverage, allows the ball into his body instead of making hands catches at times, sometimes too aggressive looking to jump routes or bait the quarterback leading to deep throws behind him, sometimes gives receivers too much cushion off the snap, larger receivers can play over top of him

Overview: Phillips is unofficially listed at 5'10", 183 lbs., but he’ll measure in at 5'9" at his pro day and the NFL Combine. The California native is an outside corner who plays toward both the field and boundary sides for Utah, and he’s playing a much larger percentage of his snaps in the slot this season. Phillips has generated consistent ball production since joining the Utes in 2020 and that shouldn’t change at the NFL level. He’s quick to read the quarterback’s eyes and trigger on short throws or jump routes. His anticipation and instincts pair well with his closing speed and burst to undercut routes and make plays on the ball. Phillips also has a terrific reaction time and instant acceleration that allows him a wide range of influence despite his size and adequate but not elite arm length. The former four-star recruit is an excellent athlete who displays light and fast feet, quick foot speed in his backpedal and throughout his game, and the acceleration to break away for pick-sixes or stay on the hips of wide receivers. He has excellent agility and effortlessly changes directions. There are no issues or tightness when flipping his hips. Phillips is sticky at the top of routes and has the athleticism to mirror receivers. He has excellent ball-tracking skills, body control, and hands that help him make pass breakups in contested catch situations. He’s physical at the catch point and will reach around receivers to break up passes without committing a penalty. Phillips sniffs out and makes plays on wide receiver screens. Unfortunately, Phillips might be forced into a slot-only role at the NFL level because of his lack of size. His small frame puts him at a disadvantage as a tackler and in coverage against larger receivers. Missed tackles are a concern for Phillips, and he struggles to disengage from blocks and redirect to the football. He’s not a significant contributor as a run defender. Phillips needs to show more urgency when carrying players in motion across the formation. He has good deep speed but isn’t an elite burner. The All-Conference cornerback is sometimes too aggressive looking to bait the quarterback or jump routes, leading to deep throws behind him. He’ll occasionally gives receivers too much cushion off the snap, which is strange considering his athletic prowess. Phillips has limited reps in press coverage and allows the ball into his body instead of making hand catches at times.

Despite being physically outmatched, Phillips held his own against USC’s Drake London in 2021. He also impressed in Utah’s Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State. The third-year sophomore traded blows with USC’s Jordan Addison earlier this year, coming out a little worse for wear. However, Phillips’ total body of work, which includes games against BYU’s Puka Nacua (2021), UCLA’s Kyle Philips (2021), Oregon’s Devon Williams (2021), UCLA’s Jake Bobo (2022), Arizona’s Jacob Cowing (2022), Oregon’s Troy Franklin (2022), and Stanford’s Elijah Higgins (2022), is overwhelmingly positive.

Overall, Phillips is a unique physical talent who would be in the top cornerback discussion if he were three inches taller and ten pounds heavier. His agility and overall high-end athleticism make him a candidate to contribute in multiple schemes across multiple roles, but he’ll likely wind up taking snaps in the slot. Phillips is a top-50 lock who could go in the back end of the first round.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot corner in a zone scheme with plenty of man opportunities

Round Projection: Mid First to Early Second

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 11-23-22