2022 NFL Draft Profile: Alabama Crimson Tide Defensive Lineman Phidarian Mathis

Big, powerful team leader will bring a lot to both an NFL team on the field and in the locker room.

The moment that may best describe Phidarian Mathis during his final year at Alabama didn't even happen on the field. 

It during the postgame press conference following the Iron Bowl. Will Anderson Jr. and John Metchie III were saying that the emotions following the dramatic overtime win were almost indescribable, that the locker room was essentially crazy fun. 

And then Mathis demonstrated exactly what that meant. He burst through the door, interrupting the press conference, yelled some in celebration, hugged his teammates, and then took off. 

It was like watching Ed Orgeron after drinking 12 energy drinks and then showing up at a tea party.

But that's Mathis, who wore No. 48 jersey as a tribute to his cousin, Tyrell Cameron, who died after suffering a neck injury on a punt return while in high school. 

Mathis himself attended Neville High School in Louisiana, where he earned USA Today Louisiana All-State recognition and as a senior in 2016 tallied 41 tackles including 12 tackles for loss, seven sacks and six quarterback hurries. The consensus four-star prospect was considered one of the top players in a talent-rich state. 

He committed to Alabama and redshirted his freshman year in 2017, and then worked his way into bigger roles. 

In 2018, he appeared in 11 games in the rotation and finished with 18 tackles and one fumble recovery. 

In 2019, he played in 12 games, started two and finished with 27 tackles and half a tackle for loss. 

In 2020, Mathis’ production continued to improve as he finished with 31 tackles, five tackles for loss and one and a half sacks. 

Last season, he started every game and was credited with 46 tackles, eight and a half tackles for loss and eight sacks en route to being named a second-team All-American by the AFCA.

He was also named to the SEC Community Service Team for his work off the field.

Mathis brought in to the process at Alabama, and he preached to teammates about the importance of leadership and holding each other accountable.

“The team leadership, I think it does play a big role because some players, they can ‑‑ I mean, I feel like they understand it better when it's coming from their own peers and not just coach," he said. "When players hear stuff come from us, they understand, all right, they got this mindset, so we have got to have this mindset also.” 

Measurements

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Height: 6-4

Weight: 313

Hand: 10^3/8

Arm: 34^5/8

NFL Combine/Pro Day

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Vertical Jump 23.5

Broad Jump 109

20 Yd Shuttle 4.91

Pros

Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK

Experienced, active defensive tackle with above average size and good length. Mathis is best when he can shed blockers at the point of attack where he utilizes quick hands to beat aggressive blockers. He is very good against zone blocking, maintaining active feet and displaying lateral moving skills before gaining outside leverage and shedding with a rip move. Attacking the chest of blockers at the point of attack, he displays good strength to stand them up. Controlling gaps with his hand usage makes him a capable two-gapper. Mathis defends the run with very high effort, fighting to the whistle and even running to the sideline. As a pass rusher, he is active when taking on multiple blockers, breaking free late based on effort alone. His swipe move is effective thanks to good hand placement. 

Cons

SEC

Lacking athleticism and explosiveness, his get-off is below-average to poor. Slow reaction time further hurts him in that department. Mathis is unable to create knockback and leaves push desired with his below-average bull rush. He is unable to win the leverage battle as a pass rusher consistently. His hands lack violence, preventing him from beating the punch of blockers decisively. Mathis possesses a below-average anchor that can see him getting driven off the ball by double teams. Once opponents latch on to him, he is unable to break free violently. Mathis is an average, inconsistent tackler, leading to frustrating misses. His processing is not at the level expected from an experienced player like him. 

NFL Draft Bible Assessment

Senior Bowl

Defensive tackle with above average size and good length who comes with a lot of experience. Mathis possesses quick hands and defends the zone running game very well. He lacks explosiveness and power rushing ability as well as hand violence. Mathis projects as a depth piece at defensive tackle who can be reliable when on the field. His potential is limited due to poor athleticism and disruptiveness.

BamaCentral Analysis

Alabama Athletics

We like Mathis. We like his passion and his personality. We especially like his drive, with a motor that always seems to be going. That he was a team co-captain shouldn't be overlooked, either. Mathis may be a quintessential Crimson Tide defensive lineman during the Nick Saban era: big, powerful, with long arms, a wide body and good technique. Granted, he may not excel as a pass-rusher, but his biggest strength is as a run-stuffer. He's not the kind of player who will cause fan bases to do cartwheels over over his selection, but he's exactly the kind of player teams desperately miss when they don't have someone like him.  

Quote

Alabama Athletics

“You look at his measurables, he’s kind of solid across the board, nothing exceptional, but the way he plays – how strong he is at the point of attack, how disciplined he is. He knows how to work the edges as a pass rusher, and to me, he’s a guy that’s just kind of consistent and always around the football and has worked to get everything that he can get out of his body. So I’ve got him as the 46th overall prospect, and I think he’s gonna come off the board in the first half of the second round.” — Todd McShay, ESPN draft analyst

Projection

Alabama Athletics

Second round. Could slide into third should the draft go off the rails, but it's very unlikely he falls to Day 3.  

Draft Day 1

• What: Round 1
• When: Thursday, April 28
• Time: 7 p.m. CT
• TV: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes (es)
• Mobile and CTV: NFL, ESPN
• Web: NFL.com, ABC.go.com, ESPN.com

Draft Day 2

• What: Rounds 2-3
• When: Friday, April 29
• Time: 6 p.m.
• TV: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes (es)
• Mobile and CTV: NFL, ESPN
• Web: NFL.com, ABC.go.com, ESPN.com

Draft Day 3

• What: Rounds 4-7
• When: Saturday, April 30
• Time: 11 a.m.
• TV: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes (es)
• Mobile and CTV: NFL, ESPN
• Web: NFL.com, ABC.go.com, ESPN.com

BamaCentral will profile each of the former Crimson Tide players expected to be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. This is the sixth story in the series:

Christopher Allen

Jalyn Armour-Davis

Slade Bolden

Christian Harris 

Josh Jobe