CLEVELAND, Ohio – Jacob Phillips certainly looks the part.

The Browns’ third-round pick out of LSU is 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds, giving him ideal size for linebacker in the NFL. The question now is whether or not he can play the part.

Andrew Berry thinks so.

“Jacob really has the physical characteristics of what we would consider our modern-era linebackers,” Berry said. “He has length, athleticism and speed. A really rangy guy, who is also good in pass coverage. We love his ability to play in space. We love his ability to run.”

Phillips’ performance on the field and at the NFL combine haven’t always measured up with such an assessment. His coverage grade from Pro Football Focus over the last two seasons at LSU put him 160th out of 207 qualifying linebackers.

His 40 time at the combine was 4.66, which was 16th among linebackers. However, his 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds put him in the 87th percentile. In the 3-cone drill, which measures change of direction, his time was 7.38, worst among the 18 linebackers who did the drill at the combine. Without a pro day, Phillips didn’t get a chance to improve on any of that.

Even so, the Browns saw enough potential in the two-year LSU starter to take him with the 97th pick.

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Here are two more things to know about Phillips:

1. He doesn’t miss tackles

According to PFF, Phillips missed just 17 tackles in 184 attempts during his final two years at LSU.

Tackling stats can sometimes be subjective, but he was credited with leading SEC in tackles last season (113), and had 87 in 2018.

The Browns spent last year’s training camp focused on improving their tackling after leading the NFL in misses in 2018 (and also receiving the worst tackling grade from PFF).

They improved from 169 misses in 2018 to 129 last season, and jumped up to 21st in tackling grade. Phillips, along with the addition of free agent B.J. Goodson (just 10 missed tackles in the last three seasons), could keep the Browns trending upward.

2. He was the nation’s top-rated LB in high school

Phillips was the top-ranked inside linebacker in the country, according to 247Sports, as a senior at East Nashville Magnet High.

He was the 61st-ranked prospect nationally after a senior season that include 123 tackles and two defensive touchdowns. Phillips didn’t just play linebacker, though. He was also a running back, fullback and tight end on offense and earned Tennessee’s Mr. Football award.

Originally committed to Oklahoma, he decided to flip to LSU late in the recruiting process.

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