Jaelan Phillips was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school that landed at UCLA.

That star faded fast with the Bruins, with injuries limiting Phillips to just ten games his first two seasons. As a freshman, an ankle injury and concussion sidelined him. Then his sophomore year he suffered a wrist injury as a result of getting hit by a car and then got another concussion in game action.

All this leading to Phillips deciding to retire in December of 2018. But by February of 2019, Phillips instead chose to transfer to Miami, where after sitting out the 2019 campaign, he played in al 10 games for the Hurricanes this past season.

Still, that type of injury history the biggest red flag that flies as Phillips goes through the pre-draft process.

"Proof is in the pudding," Phillips said following Miami's Pro Day. "I think my play on the field showed. I didn't miss a snap or miss a game or a workout. I didn't miss anything. If you watched the Pro Day you saw that wrist is still working and obviously I'm healthy. I don't think it's a risk at all. We play a dangerous and violent game, so obviously people get hurt. I wouldn't be here today if I was a risk. I think that I'm a guy that does all the right things, does all the extra things to make sure my body is on point. I truly believe if you take care of your body your body will take care of you, so that's kind of how I've been living the past couple years."

Phillips showed flashes of his talents in his brief time at UCLA, recording 4.5 sacks and 8 tackles for a loss in those 10 games.

It was his lone season with the Hurricanes, though, where everything finally came together. Phillips notched 8 sacks and 15.5 TFL in 10 games, earning 2nd team All-American honors.

"Everybody's path to success isn't linear at all," Phillips said. "There's ups and downs. I think all of that just gave me a better look at everything. It made me have this chip on my shoulder. It gave me a deeper appreciation of what the game is and what it brings to me. So for me, I never lost my passion for football. I just needed a little kick in the butt, little kick in the butt for sure."

The physical tools have always been there and were put on display during the Hurricanes Pro Day.

Phillips measured in at 6'5" and 260 pounds. He ran a 4.56 second time in the 40, a number he was slightly disappointed in after saying he ran in the 4.4s during training.

He hit a personal record with a 36-inch vertical jump while adding a 10-5 broad jump.

But there isn't much tape that showcases those talents. Phillips understands that and feels he is only scratching the surface of the player he can become.

"I think I'm super versatile," Phillips said. "I'm a guy who can beat you off the edge. I can beat you with power. I can beat you with finesse on the inside. So for me it's just developing those moves and really having my go-to stuff and working on the long arms, working on my swipes, working on my footwork and my little eurosteps. I feel like I'm still a very raw prospect. I haven't had too much formal training in terms of pass-rushing. So I'm really looking forward in moving to the next level where picking guys brains and all these legendary coaches and veterans, just developing all the aspects of my game."

Phillips is another one of these prospects where it is all a matter of what side of the coin you look at. The talent came together with great production this past season, but injuries were the story before that.

This is why Phillips projection ranges anywhere in the 1st to 2nd round.