Utah's Clark Phillips III aims to be 'best CB on the roster' wherever he lands in NFL Draft
Utah corner Clark Phillips III was a proven playmaker at the college level.
He was a Unanimous All-American in 2022, a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, an immediate starter out of high school, and a defensive back with four career pick-sixes. Phillips was one off the nation lead for interceptions last season with six. Three of them came in one game.
Phillips built a reputation in the Pac-12. Meticulously.
“I’m goal-oriented,” he told reporters in Indianapolis on Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I like to write things down. I put everything in my little, cheap $1 spiral notebook from the 99-cent store. It started with that my freshman year. I talked to the (Utah) staff about it. I let them know a brief summary of my goals and everything aligned with what they wanted to do. I started from Game 1, man. I was just blessed they trusted me as a player, as a person, and then they allowed me to continue to grow as a player and get to where I am now.”
Pro Football Focus has Phillips mocked to the Minnesota Vikings with the 22nd overall pick in next month’s NFL Draft. The shutdown corner is looking to give the Utes back-to-back first-round selections for the first time in the modern draft era.
Phillips will take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium for drill work on Friday.
Maybe his size has some teams thinking a role as a slot corner is all he can offer, but Phillips is preaching confidence at the Combine.
He said Utah’s penchant for sending zone pressures — something Phillips says few in the Pac-12 did last season — will stand out on tape. He said he’s a man-coverage corner that has a speciality in zone. He touted his film work, too.
“I’m trying to be the best CB on the roster,” he said. “My style of play is already on film. I’m a ferocious, relentless, smart, nasty ballhawk, and that’s just what I do.”