2023 NFL Draft: Utah CB Clark Phillips III Set to Visit Jaguars
The Jaguars have brought in yet another defender for a top-30 pre-draft visit.
According to NFL Network's Tom Peliserro, Utah cornerback Clark Phillips III is set to visit the Jaguars this week, the latest in a string of cornerbacks to visit Jacksonville ahead of next week's draft.
Phillips profiles best as a nickel cornerback after his testing at the NFL Scouting Combine. For a Jaguars team that could be in a prime position to address cornerback at No. 56 overall, Phillips makes plenty of sense.
A big-time get for the Utah football program in the 2020 class, Phillips was ranked by 247Sports as a four-star recruit. The California native was the No. 51 recruit in the country, the No. 6 cornerback, and the No. 6 recruit in the state of California -- a ranking that would have been higher were it not for Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud.
Clark received over 30 offers out of high school, including significant interest from Ohio State, USC, and Cal. Other programs that offered him include Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, Texas, and Tennessee.
Phillips started all five of Utah's games as a true freshman, recording 25 tackles (2.0 TFL), a fumble recovery and three passes defended (one interception, two pass breakups) which included a pick-six.
Phillips started 14 more games as a sophomore, leading the Pac-12 in pass breakups (13), along with two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a tackle for loss, leading to him earning Pac-12 All-Conference and AP All-Pac-12 second team honors.
Phillips had his best year as a junior, starting 12 games and being tied for the most interceptions in the Power 5 with six, which included two pick-sixes. He also recorded five pass breakups, two tackles for loss, and a sack. As a result, he was named a Unanimous All-American, the 2022 AP Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and a 2022 Pac-12 All-Conference First Team (Coaches and AP) member, while also being named a finalist for the 2022 Jim Thorpe Award and a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award.
