The 2015 NFL Draft, like every NFL draft that come before it, is sure to provide some fireworks and a handful of big surprises.
One player whose name hasn't come up much, if at all, in the first-round conversation but who is suddenly a possibility to go in the latter portion of the draft's initial night, is Oklahoma nose tackle Jordan Phillips.
"Oklahoma nose tackle Jordan Phillips has a shot at being a late first-round pick, as there are a number of teams picking in the 20s that could take him," reports Charlie Campbell of Walter Football.
According to Campbell, while there are a handful of teams that could use a player like Phillips, he points to the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots as NFL franchises to keep an eye on in the first-round tomorrow night.
The Packers kept both Letroy Guion and B.J. Raji, though neither is on a long-term deal - Raji, who missed the entire 2014 season with a biceps tear, returned to the Packers on a one-year deal worth up to $4 million and Guion also got a new one-year deal this offseason - and considering Raji's flirtation with free agency and injury and Guion's drug and gun arrest, Packers GM Ted Thompson could be eyeing a new future at the nose tackle position.
For the Patriots, long-time defensive stalwart and fan-favorite Vince Wilfork departed for the Houston Texans, leaving a sizable hole along the Pats front-seven. While Wilfork certainly isn't the same player he once was, he's still a mammoth presence - both literally and figuratively - that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will likely struggle to replace.
Phillips, 6-foot-5, 329-pounds, could potentially prove the long-term answer at nose tackle for both franchises.
"Nose tackle with desired height, weight and speed. Flashes talent necessary to project a ceiling as a dominant run stuffer best suited for a 3-4 defense," writes Lanze Zierlein of NFL.com. "Phillips' ability to eat up blocks should help him earn a high grade, but it's his potential as a big athlete with above-average range for the position that could turn him into a Pro Bowl nose."
Zierlein believes that Phillips' skills and massive frame compare well to Terrance Knighton.
"He has the body type and length to play in a 3-4 or 4-3 front, but there is no reason to move him from the nose. If he gets that motor going, he could be a dominant pro," an AFC North scout told Zierlein.
