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