Desperate for a slot receiver, the Tennessee Titans selected UCLA’s Kyle Philips with the 163rd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. The San Marcos, CA native, who admitted that he had never been to Nashville, finished fourth all-time in career receptions in school history.
“I couldn’t be more happy. Once I got that call, I just started crying right away. I thought I was going to be able to hold it back, but I couldn’t do it. I was just extremely thankful,” he said to reporters after being selected.
“Just all the hard work, and the Titans just believing in me, giving me the opportunity to go live out my dreams and play in the NFL.”
Philips played in 373 of UCLA’s pass plays last season, but only 17 of those came lined up out wide (Pro Football Focus). He’s not the fastest guy, or the tallest; at the NFL Combine, he was listed at 5-foot-11, 189 pounds, and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds.
He noted that he didn’t have his best performance at the combine, but his play on film jumps off the page. When asked how he describes his game, he had just one word:
“Reliable. I’m a guy that whatever the coaches need, I can go get it done. If he needs someone to block, I’ll go block that guy… Just a reliable guy that puts the team first and willing to do whatever I need to help the team win.”
Philips indicated that NFL receivers Cole Beasley, Hunter Renfrow, Davante Adams, and Keenan Allen are players he models his game after.
Specifically, Philips has taken Allen’s patented skip step to freeze defensive backs and Adams’ split release to create separation, and incorporated them into his own game.
As such, the UCLA product’s route-running is something he takes a lot of pride in.
“It’s the main thing as a receiver, being able to create separation,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve been working on since I was in about eighth grade. It takes a lot of film study just watching guys, how they run routes, and learning from them and adding to your toolkit.”
Former Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith said that Philips has a “PhD in route-running,” and that the rookie “is fresh out of medical school because he’s doing surgery on DBs.”
Aside from his abilities on the offensive side of the ball, Philips averaged 22.6 yards per punt return last year. He also returned one 82 yards in the game against Colorado.
The Titans are no stranger to finding gems in the later rounds of the draft. Philips will look to join that exclusive group, with rookie minicamp opening up on May 13.
