Dolphins double down on defense, pick NT Jordan Phillips in fifth round of ’25 NFL Draft
The Miami Dolphins needed help along the defensive interior.
After Miami initially addressed the need Thursday with the selection of Kenneth Grant, they subsequently doubled down in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the pick of Jordan Phillips at No. 143.
“I just plan on going in there and just having a great relationship” with Grant, Phillips said, adding that “us pushing each other” will drive the team.
A 6-foot-2-inch, 312-pound nose tackle out of the University of Maryland, Phillips didn’t register a sack in his three years in college, the first of which was spent with the Tennessee Volunteers as a redshirt freshman.
Phillips transferred to Maryland and started 11 of 13 games in 2023. That year, he racked up 28 total tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss. In 2024, he started all 12 games, accumulating 29 tackles and one tackle-for-loss.
“He’s a really good run-stopper so what he’s asked to do, for them, he excelled,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said. He added that Phillips especially shined as a pass-rusher at the East West Shrine Bowl. “He’s 20-years-old and has an unbelievable love fir football so I do think there’s some things that we can unlock with him.”
In high school, Phillips was a weight-lifter and wrestler, the latter of which he said helped him understand “how to take control and have proper leverage over somebody.”
“Just having grit, the willingness to understand body control,” Phillips said.
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlien called Phillips a “powerful nose tackle known for his work ethic and leadership.”
“Phillips is compact and explosive at the point but is inconsistent at controlling blocks quickly enough as a read-and-react defender,” Zierlien wrote. “He can be quick off the snap but lacks fluidity and tends to get sealed by move blocks. In general, he’s gap-sound and can be hard for blockers to finish. He has yet to display he can provide pass-rush production, so he will need to prove he can at least be a run-plugger in the pros.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 2:23 PM.
