NFL Draft Profile: Kyle Philips, Wide Receiver, UCLA Bruins

NFL Draft profile scouting report for UCLA WR Kyle Philips

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#2
Pos: WR
Ht: 5112
Wt: 189
Hand: 858
Arm: 2958
Wing: 7100
40: 4.58
Vertical: 33.5
Broad: 1004
3 Cone: NA
Bench: NA
Shuttle: NA
DOB: 06/17/
Hometown: San Marcos, CA
High School: San Marcos

Kyle Philips
UCLA Bruins

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One-liner:

An extremely hard-working wide receiver, who knows how to get open and get first downs. Very comparable to Julian Edelman.

Pros:

Great route runner with quick feet and knows how to get open. Very smart he understands play concepts and where the holes in the defense will be. He is a quarterback’s best friend because he never quits on a play and will find a way to get his quarterback a target. Has phenomenal instincts and can be depended on finding the sticks for a first down. He is a really hard worker and a scrappy receiver. He has no problem taking a bit or having to lay out for a ball if that is what the team needs. Plays with an edge that surprises defenders because he always fights for extra yards and will run through you if let him. Excellent blocker, no matter if it’s a run play or something the team had to improvise. He is a very good returner and will be a fantastic special teams player because of the effort he always gives you.

Cons:

Not the biggest or fastest player and isn’t going to overwhelm you with his testing numbers. Doesn’t have great statistics as he never broke 1,000 yards. Not going to be a deep threat, he has the speed to do it but not the size and catch radius to be effective. Did not go against much elite talent in college, so we don’t truly know how good he is. Very inconsistent numbers, though quarterback play definitely played a role in that. He just had too many games where he disappeared and was primarily a blocker.

Summary:

An extremely hard-working wide receiver, who knows how to get open and get first downs. He is a great route runner and a very dependable target for his quarterback, though quarterback play definitely hurt him in his career. He doesn’t the best measurables as far as size and speed go, but his work ethic is outstanding and he is always fighting for more. Very smart player who understands play concepts and where the holes will open up on a defense. Fleet-footed both as a route runner and with the ball in his hand. Plays a very physical game, so he is a tough player to bring down. He is aggressive and loves contact, so he can run through arm tackles quite easily. Has incredible instincts and always knows where the first down marker is, which should not be understated. The ultimate “team player”, no matter how he is being used he will always give you everything he’s got. Though statistically, he was inconsistent, he just didn’t have the quarterbacks to get him the ball.

Background:

Born in San Marcos California, he is the son of Michael and Christie Philips. He attended San Marcos High School where he become a four-star recruit and make it onto the ESPN Top 300 National list. After joining UCLA in the spring of 2018 he would see limited action that fall when he primarily played special teams. The next season saw a huge jump in production as he played in every game and became one of UCLA’s top threats, he also showed his prowess as a punt returner helping his team rank second in the nation for punt return average. He again played every game of the shortened season in 2020 and was named Honorable Mention All-PAC12. He saved his best for his final season as he led the team in both receiving yards and touchdowns. His ten touchdowns led all PAC12 receivers, he also ranked second in the conference for receiving yards per game and third for receptions per game. He moved into fourth all-time for receptions at UCLA, he was named first-team All-PAC12 as a wide receiver and second-team All-PAC12 as a punt returner. For his efforts, he was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game.

Grade: 

6.8/7.8 

Quotes:

"I like Cole Beasley and Hunter Renfrow, just because I know I'm going to get that comparison. Just short slot, all that. So I try to take a lot from their game. With them I just love how intentional they are with all their movements. Whether it’s the lean, the eyes, the head. Everything has a purpose. There’s no wasted movement. Another one is Keenan Allen. We have a different body build but something that I like that he does, at the top of his routes he has a little skip step, freezes the DB when he makes a move. So I've been able to add that a little bit. The last one is Davante Adams. Just the release package. I love the split release that he does. So I took that too." -- Kyle Phillips on which NFL wide receivers he emulates