One-on-One: Andru Phillips Recaps the Senior Bowl with KSR
Former Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips recently completed a successful trip to Mobile for the Senior Bowl. As you’ll learn from Phillips, the event is much more than an all-star showcase.
In the practices leading up to the game, Phillips flashed against the best wide receivers at the event. Projected to play nickel at the next level, the cornerback showed his physicality and won his fair share one-on-one reps in the slot.
Following the successful Senior Bowl experience, Phillips spent some time talking about the pre-draft process with KSR. It’s an enlightening conversation that will give you a better idea of the grueling process these players undergo before they receive life-changing news at the NFL Draft.
KSR: The Senior Bowl — was it as intense as you thought it was going to be? Because it sounds like a pretty crazy week.
Phillips: It’s actually more intense than I thought it was going to be, but in a good way. It’s nonstop for the entire week you’re there when it comes to practices, and then you’re going straight to seminars and whatnot, educating yourself. Then after that you’re meeting with teams every night, scouts and such, you’re interviewing, so it’s a lot. I thought you’d just go there, play ball, meet with a couple teams, but they got you busy almost every hour of the day.
KSR: Is it intimidating at all to talk to and interview with these NFL teams? I’d imagine it’s a lot, and you want to put out your best effort for every one of them, but you’re talking to 32 teams.
Phillips: Intimidating? No. I was raised in a business type of family, so being in a professional setting doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable. I actually found it to be fun, just to meet new people and network, so that’s how I looked at it.
KSR: Do you pick up any cues or good vibes from teams, maybe from some more than others?
Phillips: I got a good vibe from a lot of teams, I’ll just say that. There’s a lot of teams that said they’re interested and I got a good vibe from them.
KSR: Do you allow yourself to start to dream big after those meetings? Like, ‘I could see myself in a 49ers uniform’ or anything like that?
Phillips: No, because at the end of the day, you have no idea. You don’t want to dream of one place and then you don’t go there and it feels like a letdown. Sometimes you envision ‘that’d be cool’ but at the end of the day, it’s not long-term (thought). You’re just trying to make the best impression for all 32 teams.
KSR: So what impression do you think you made out there during Senior Bowl practices?
Phillips: I think I showed that I’m dominant in that slot with my coverage abilities and I can go and compete and win against the best. That’s all I wanted to go down there and do.
KSR: Was playing in the SEC that much different than playing against all these guys that are at the Senior Bowl?
Phillips: Oh no. The SEC, of course, it prepares you. I think a lot of the best receivers on my team were from the SEC. You see those guys throughout the year, so you get a good feel about your skill against these guys and what you can do.
KSR: It was funny, one reporter said nobody could stop Ladd McConkey. Well, Dru’s covered him a couple of times before. This ain’t his first rodeo.
Phillips: I’ve seen him a couple of years. Especially we’re in the week and they labeled him as the best receiver on our team, I definitely wanted to go up against him. I’d say I held my own, I dominated those reps. But I got to cheat a little bit. I’ve seen him for a couple years.
KSR: Are the practices any different than what you would go through during a training camp in the summer at UK?
Phillips: It’s very similar to a fall camp, but this one’s really more emphasis on competitiveness and winning. Of course, it’s the same way at Kentucky, but in these there’s a much larger emphasis on one-on-ones. Besides that, it’s just like a fall camp at Kentucky. By day four out there, it felt like you were halfway through fall camp.
KSR: Winning a rep in front of a bunch of scouts, it’s just feels more impactful than winning a rep while competing for a starting spot.
Phillips: You got a lot of eyes on you. I wouldn’t say there’s a lot more pressure, but right now is the time when you need to be at your best.
KSR: You’re attending the Combine with a couple of other teammates, including Trevin Wallace. I heard that you were the one who told him that he’s going to the Senior Bowl?
Phillips: “That was so funny. I saw it on Twitter when Trevin got the invitation. I was so happy, hit him up, texted him all caps saying congrats. He was like, ‘What happened?’ What do you mean what happened? You just accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl. But he had no idea. He just goes along with it. He’s there for the ride.
KSR: What are you trying to sell NFL teams? This is why you need Dru Phillips on your team.
Phillips: I tell them that I’m what you want. I’m the best nickel in this draft with how competitive I am, my explosiveness, and my instincts in that slot. I feel like every team wants that guy to go win each and every third down and I am the guy for that.
KSR: Did you take any time off? What’s the plan moving forward with all this prep?
Phillips: I’m right back to it. The day after the game I was back down (to Ft. Lauderdale) working. It’s basically two-a-days down here, one (workout) in the morning, one in the early afternoon. It’s just getting ready for this combine.
KSR: It’s crazy. I’d be so tired of just getting off the line over and over again. You’ll probably do that a million times before the Combine.
Phillips: It’s a lot. You’re not training conditioning-wise. You’re just going out there and preparing to run 40 yards. That’s it. You’re putting in months of work for a quick sprint that will last less than five seconds. You know what I mean? It’s so much for such a short time, but there’s so much that goes into it that’s important.
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