Final 2021 NFL Mock Draft: Dolphins grab a steal at No. 18
18. Miami Dolphins: Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami (FL)
This year’s edge-rushing class is quite the perplexing group of players. There is so much raw talent throughout the group and players who can fit multiple roles. However, there is no player who is a certainty and no one who is a finished product. Any team going with an edge rusher is taking a calculated risk on upside and potential.
For my money, no player at the position has higher upside than Jaelan Phillips. It’s hard for me to think that he wouldn’t be valued much higher if his journey through college football — briefly medically retired at UCLA then transferred to Miami and balled out — was a bit more normal. In any case, the Dolphins are thankful for that as they can keep him home with the 18th pick.
Phillips is extremely explosive and an absolute stud athlete coming off the edge. He has underrated technical ability as a rusher and has the frame to make multiple moves work. Moreover, he has also shown promise as a run defender.
The Dolphins need to get some juice in their pass rush to really get their defense, which was already impressive in the 2020 season, to an elite level. Phillips has the potential to provide exactly that in a big way.
Who I Would Pick: Jaelan Phillips