Chargers should keep close eye on DT Harrison Phillips at Senior Bowl

The 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl takes place this Saturday from Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Several players will be looking to put on their best performance for the NFL scouts in attendance.

The Los Angeles Chargers should be looking for an interior defensive lineman in this draft and the team could choose to take one in the first round. While the team’s sights could be set on a player such as Maurice Hurst, Da’Ron Payne, Christian Wilkins or Vita Vea, there is a player taking part in the Senior Bowl who should be on its radar.

Stanford defensive lineman Harrison Phillips will play for the North team in the Senior Bowl and will wear No. 66.

Phillips hasn’t gotten the kind of recognition as many of those other names listed above, but that could change. He is a high-motor defender who racked up an unbelievable 103 tackles in 2017. When was the last time you saw a defensive tackle have that many tackles in a season? In comparison, he had just 46 tackles during his junior year in 2016.

In the below video, you can see Phillips in action against Washington this past season.

He would offer the Chargers a physical presence in the middle. He has long arms that allow him to make plays you wouldn’t expect him to make and he does have the ability to make the explosive defensive play, as evidenced by the 17.5 tackles for loss he registered last season.

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Though he had 14.5 sacks over the course of the last two seasons, he doesn’t possess more than one pass-rushing technique and won’t be a sack artist at the professional level. However, he doesn’t quit on a play and many of his sacks come as a result of him just outworking his opponent.

There will be plenty of players to watch in the Senior Bowl, but Phillips is one who fills a need for the Chargers. He may not be the “sexy” pick, but he would be a solid choice if he is available in one of the middle rounds.

The Senior Bowl will be televised on the NFL Network. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. PT.