TE, John Phillips, Virginia

TE, John Phillips, Virginia

Pros:  Prototype height for the position with long limbs. Solid build with room for additional growth. Reads the defense and can find the soft spot in the short and medium levels of zone coverage. Reliable hands. Catches the ball cleanly with his hands and secures it quickly. Good body control to catch the pass outside of his frame. Lacks the quickness off the snap that teams prefer, but accelerates smoothly. Physical inline blocker. At least adequate quickness off the snap and laterally for the down block. Provides a good initial pop and effort as a drive blocker. Veteran with four years of starting experience.

Cons:  Strictly a short- to medium-range target. Lacks the straight-line speed to challenge the seam. Only adequate elusiveness to make defenders miss in space. Occasionally lines up in the slot, but lacks the burst off the snap to continue in this role in the NFL. Could use more bulk in his upper body. Provides pop as a blocker, but lack of initial quickness evident in this area, as well. Struggles to recover if beaten initially.

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Scouting Reports and Offsite Links:

• Older brother, Jake, was a starting quarterback at William & Mary and his cousin, Scott Perkins, also played football for the Tribe...Worked as a backup early in his career before taking over the starting job in 2007...Was named 1st Team All-ACC in 2008...Had a terrific senior campaign and really improved his draft stock...Will attempt to follow in the footsteps of recent Cavs tight end prospects who are currently playing in the NFL like Heath Miller and Tom Santi...Probably profiles as more of a backup  but has some raw tools  to work with and develop.  [see more...]
• A big, physically built tight end with good power and technique out of his stance. Showcases the strength to handle defensive ends one on one in the run game and seal the edge. Is a smart, instinctive receiver who knows where to sit down in zone coverage. Has reliable hands and does a nice job gaining initial separation and using his body to shield defenders from the ball.  [see more...]