What special skills are Dolphins getting in Jaelan Phillips? His UM coach offers insight

During a long coaching career, Todd Stroud has helped develop 10 first-round NFL draft picks, including Mario Williams and Manny Lawson.

But in one regard, he has never coached a player who impressed him more than Jaelan Phillips did with the Miami Hurricanes last season.

“I would say in my 36 years coaching, what he put on tape last year is the best effort guy I’ve ever seen in college football,” Stroud said.

Stroud -- who coached UM’s defensive linemen the past two seasons -- and Canes fans will get to follow Phillips’ career closely as he moves to the Miami Dolphins, who drafted him 18th overall.

Stroud addressed several issues about the Dolphins’ newest pass rusher in a phone conversation last week:

▪ Stroud, on what makes Phillips special:

“His linear speed, change of direction, his ability to jump and move are at an elite level. [Early on], you could just tell by watching him do drills and watching him do individuals; you could tell he’s a special guy.

“We got him out there last spring and in four days last spring [of 2020, before COVID-19 shut down spring football], he knocked off a lot of rust and you could tell we had something special. It’s amazing what he could have done with a full summer of training.

“At the position we play, we talk about fundamentals and technique, but if you get a guy that plays with fanatical effort you have something special, especially if he has Jaelan’s ability. It’s an effort position. You have to run after big bodies, change directions and chase that football. It’s a passing game now, so rushing the passer is at a premium. It’s the hardest thing to do as a defensive lineman.

“With Jaelan’s passion and his motor and how much he loves the game and how he studies the game and how he learns — he’s a very strong learner from the field to the film room and film room to the field — with all the pluses he has, I would be shocked if he wasn’t a successful NFL player.”

Phillips’ production last season was exceptional: eight sacks, 45 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and an interception.

Stroud, incidentally, addressed one question I’ve wondered about and asked: He said Miami’s poor game against North Carolina (the Canes allowed 778 yards and 554 on the ground) “wasn’t a reflection on Jaelan in particular. Things went south in a hurry and got worse.”

▪ On how Phillips handled the 2019 season, when he sat out after transferring from UCLA:

“His first year when he got here that summer he was very lean,” Stroud said. “He wasn’t in any type of football shape. We kind of made a decision — coach [Manny] Diaz and I — that it would be best to ease him back into training and not worry about the football stuff as far as contact.

“He came in with the wrist injury [from a moped accident in Southern California]. We had all the medical reports from UCLA, including the concussions. You never know what the truth is. We were cautious with him because he had a risk and had a concussion history. We thought it would be wise to keep him in the weight room, let him come to meetings and get him rolling and let him be part of the program.

“He never missed a meeting, thrived academically. He was great in the film room, very engaged that year in 2019. With [strength and conditioning coach] David Feeley, it was amazing how he transformed his body in a short amount of time.

“He ended up with a nearly 50-pound gain, 43 pounds. He has been as high as 270 with us. He has a comfort zone of 262. What saved Jaelan [after retiring briefly from football while at UCLA] was his body’s response to training and getting with coach Feeley — 1-on-1. It got his passion for football back, and he fell in love with the game again. He found his love for football back in Miami.”

▪ On whether there should be concerns about his health, keeping in mind that Phillips had two concussions while at UCLA but none since:

“At some point, you’ve got to tee it up in practice,” Stroud said. “We took care of him Year 1. At some point you have to cut loose with hunting dogs. From a physical standpoint, there’s not really any problem with his history last season and how reckless he played. I don’t think [that] injury will rear its head again.”

▪ On how he can be used as an NFL player, and whether he’s better suited to be a hand-on-the-ground defensive linemen or stand-up outside linebacker:

“He can do both things,” Stroud said. “He has speed and change of direction to cover; in our system, he zone dropped, played man coverage against backs, did a lot of different things. Sixty percent of the time he had his hand on the ground and 40 percent he was a stand-up [player].

“He’s comfortable playing a hybrid linebacker that stands up and awesome on third down with his hand on the ground. He’s sturdy enough to be an every-down player.

“You are very hard-pressed to find guys 260 pounds, 265 pounds that run a sub 4.5 [in the 40-yard dash]; he can do all those things. Learning coverages won’t challenge him. If he’s a 3-4 outside linebacker, he can spot-drop and man up on running backs at times and can give you a good rush package.”

The Dolphins are listing Phillips as a linebacker.

▪ On how Phillips is off the field: “He’s got a big personality. Extremely dynamic. Will light up a room when he walks in. Natural leader, great sense of humor. He can take a ribbing or give a ribbing. Never has a bad day and always comes to work; his work ethic in practice was like it was in a game. Every day, that kid brought joy to us.”

Stroud, incidentally, deserves considerable credit for the work he did developing Phillips, Greg Rousseau (who had 15.5 sacks under Stroud’s tutelage in 2019), Williams, Lawson and others.

Earlier this offseason, Stroud moved over to a senior football advisor role, helping Diaz on a variety of responsibilities. Jess Simpson is now coaching the Canes’ defensive linemen.

Phillips told CBS-4’s Mike Cugno that he spoken with Stroud, Diaz and Feeley since the draft and “I thank them for everything they’ve done for me. I wouldn’t be here without them.”