He is the biggest boom-bust prospect in this year’s NFL draft, but Miami (Fla.) defensive end Jaelan Phillips wants NFL teams to know their hand-wringing is for naught.
“Everybody’s path to success isn’t linear at all,” Phillips said last month at Miami’s pro day. “There’s ups and downs and I think all of that really just gave me a better look at everything. Like, it made me have this chip on my shoulder and gave me a deeper appreciation of what the game is and what it brings to me. And so for me, I never lost my passion with football, I just needed a little kick in the butt.