Tennessee football: Former Vols DL Kyle Phillips emerging with New York Jets

Could Tennessee football have another star in the NFL who was undrafted? Former Volunteers defensive end Kyle Phillips is hinting at that in New York.

He was undoubtedly the best player for Tennessee football last year and was part of the best unit, the defensive line, which lost all three starters to the NFL. But Kyle Phillips’s breakout season on a 5-7 team wasn’t enough to earn him a spot in the NFL Draft.

So he went undrafted and signed with the New York Jets, easily making the team. Now, as an undrafted rookie, he is progressing along much quicker than most undrafted players do, and it has shown the last two weeks.

At 6’4″ 277 pounds, Phillips got his first start in a 31-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. In reality, that loss had nothing to do with him or the defense, as the offense was historically atrocious, allowing Philly’s defense to score twice.

Phillips got his first real chance to contribute last week against the Dallas Cowboys. All he did was come away with seven overall tackles, three of which were solo. And his play helped the Jets pull of their first win of the year, a 24-22 upset over Dallas.

All of Tennessee football knew Phillips was special. Last year, in Jeremy Pruitt’s system, he emerged with 55 tackles, seven and a half tackles for a loss and four sacks. He also deflected four passes, forced and recovered a fumble and had a pick-six.

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Two season-ending injuries his freshmen and sophomore years slowed him down, but at full strength as a senior he was elite. Now, with the Jets, he is subtly showing that he may be able to explode onto the scene once again.

Seven tackles against Dallas was a start. A Monday Night Football game against the New England Patriots, another high-profile NFL team, could be his chance to shine. Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams loves to get after the quarterback, and in particular quarterbacks like Tom Brady, and Phillips thrives in those systems. It’s why he burst onto the scene under Jeremy Pruitt.

For as great as Brady is and as quickly as he gets rid of the ball, New England is just in the middle of the pack in terms of pass protection, if you look at the data on Pro Football Focus. So as a major underdog with a 1-5 team facing a 7-0 team, Phillips may be in the perfect position to burst onto the scene.

Defensive ends who played for Tennessee football have thrived with the Jets before. Shaun Ellis did it for years. Could Phillips be the next Ellis? If so, he would be a surprise as an undrafted free agent. But a few flashes over the past couple of weeks could turn into something special.