Lonnie Phelps Jr., EDGE Kansas: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Phelps was a three-star recruit from Mt. Healthy High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in the class of 2019

Pass rusher Lonnie Phelps Jr. put on an exceptional performance at the Senior Bowl after quality seasons at Miami (OH) in 2021 and Kansas in 2022. The All-Big 12 selection has a developed bag of pass rush moves to draw on at any time. He’s an exciting Day 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Lonnie Phelps Jr., EDGE Kansas: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior defensive end from Cincinnati, Ohio

Background: Phelps was a three-star recruit from Mt. Healthy High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in the class of 2019. He was the No. 1,529 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,446 for On3.com. Phelps was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 73 grade out of 100. He transferred from Miami (OH) to Kansas ahead of the 2022 season. Phelps was a team captain at Mt. Healthy, where he earned First-Team All-Southwest Ohio honors. He amassed 100 tackles, including 18 for loss, a school record ten sacks, and four blocked kicks as a senior. Phelps was the district Defensive Player of the Year and received First-Team All-State honors. He won the Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a junior by totaling 76 tackles, ten sacks, four forced fumbles, and three blocked kicks. Phelps was born on Aug. 24, 2000.

Injuries & Off-Field: Limited snaps against Oklahoma (2022) because of an injury, went down with an injury against Oklahoma State (2022) but didn’t miss a game

Awards: 2020 Third-Team All-MAC, 2021 Second-Team All-MAC, 2022 Second-Team All-Big 12

Pros: Significant special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units, plays with a nasty demeanor, motor runs hot, relentless pursuit of the QB, success translated despite jump in competition, quick off the line, fires off the snap with good leverage, maintains low pad level, punishes tackles who overset, attacks inside rush lanes, aggressive hands attack the tackle’s hands with swipes, swim move, long-arm move, bull rush, club move, rip move, hesitation move, maintains good speed on stunts and twists, quick to close in on and collapse inside runs, strong and steady leg drive, displays patience and football IQ when defending the read-option

Cons: Needs to add more mass to play full-time defensive end, adding more upper body muscle would greatly increase the effectiveness of his deep back of moves, arm length isn’t ideal, frequently stalemated, lacks elite bend, lacks power to break anchors, outside rush often carries him too far upfield, bull rush can get bogged down, sometimes caught in the ribs by the tackle when executing an inside swim, separates late from blockers, struggles to stack and shed blocks against the run, struggled with length and run game anchor against Houston’s Patrick Paul (2022), doesn’t disengage and redirect to the ball quickly

Overview: Phelps took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6021 and weighs 244 lbs. He has 9 2/8-inch hands and 32 3/8-inch arms. Phelps had a 75 7/8-inch wingspan at the Senior Bowl. He was one of the best risers from the Senior Bowl but still faces some physical limitations that put a ceiling on his NFL projection. Phelps gained significant special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units during his time in college. He plays with a nasty demeanor and hot motor. The Miami (OH) transfer relentlessly pursues the quarterback. His success translating from Miami (OH) to Kansas was a significant feather in his cap. Phelps is quick off the line and fires off the snap with good leverage. He punishes tackles who overset by attacking inside rush lanes. His aggressive hands attack the tackle’s hands with swipes and swats. Phelps incorporates swim, long-arm, bull rush, club, rip, and hesitation moves into his pass rush plan. He also maintains good speed on stunts and twists. The former three-star recruit quickly closes in on and collapses inside runs. He plays with a strong and steady leg drive. Phelps lacks ideal arm length and needs to add more mass if he wants to play defensive end at the next level. Adding more upper body muscle would greatly increase the effectiveness of his pass rush plan. Phelps was frequently stalemated in college and lacks the power to break anchors. He doesn’t have elite bend to threaten the edge, and his outside rushes often carry him too far upfield. Phelps’ bull rush gets bogged down. He’s not a quick-twitch athlete, which shows up sometimes when executing inside pass rush moves. Last year, a few tackles caught him in the ribs when he attempted to execute inside swim moves. The Ohio native struggles to stack and shed blocks against the run and is late to separate from blocks. Phelps’ arm length and power limitations were on display in some reps against Houston’s Patrick Paul (2022) this past year.

Overall, Phelps is a fierce defensive lineman with a high motor and deep bag of pass rush moves. Unfortunately, physical limitations limit his ceiling as an NFL player. Phelps should see action as a rotational pass rusher early in his career. His work ethic and relentless approach to the game will lead to more opportunities in the future.

Role & Scheme Fit: Rotational outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme

Round Projection: Early Fifth to Late Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 03-12-23