Top 25 Miami Dolphins players countdown: No. 10 is Jaelan Phillips

This is The Palm Beach Post's Top 25 countdown of Dolphins players entering the 2022 season. We'll reveal multiple players each week throughout the summer, as ranked by our reporters using a simple criterion: Who's the better player right now?

No rookie in Dolphins history has posted more than the 8.5 sacks edge rusher Jaelan Phillips did in 2021.

"I can kill you with speed," Phillips said prior to his first NFL regular-season game. "I can kill you with power."

And Phillips did.

After he stood out at UCLA and Miami, Phillips, 6-foot-5, 266 pounds, was selected by the Dolphins with the 18th overall pick.

There was a camp injury to overcome. And a slow start, too.

In his first eight games, Phillips had 1.5 sacks.

In his final nine games, Phillips posted seven.

Impact: Dolphins' Jalean Phillips touched by visits to women's and children's shelter

Flashback! Dolphins' stunning defensive turnaround keyed by 'relentless pursuit'

Habib: Dolphins' Jaelan Phillips works with ‘confidence coach'

"He’s a dawg, man," first-year Dolphins pass rusher Melvin Ingram said. "He’s got a chance to be special."

Phillips, who had played mostly defensive end in college and played mostly outside linebacker with the Dolphins, finished second only to Emmanuel Ogbah's nine sacks.

Why we ranked Jaelan Phillips 10th

Phillips is a physical specimen and a workout warrior. But he's more than that.

Unlike too many draft prospects in that category, he does not have an inconsistent motor. Phillips brings power. He brings speed. And he appears to bring it on every single snap. But why?

“You can always tell the love a guy has for his teammates and for his family by how hard he runs after the ball," Phillips said. "You’re going to do everything humanly possible to get after that ball. It’s a choice. I feel like you’re kind of a coward if you don’t.”

Phillips is highly quotable and highly intelligent.

And there is every reason to believe that if he stays healthy, he can be an NFL star.

Where we see Jaelan Phillips headed

Some think Phillips would have been drafted higher if not for a history of concussions, as well as his outside interests, such as music.

“For me, with the story that I had and having left the game and retired and come back, they just wanted to hear from the horse’s mouth what went down and just make sure that my passion was still there,” Phillips said this spring. “And I think I proved that to every single team, especially the Dolphins.”

Could Phillips become Miami's best pass rusher since Cam Wake?

Could he become Miami's most feared pass rusher since Jason Taylor?

Why not? He possesses all of the required physical attributes.

Phillips has cut body fat and added muscle for a net loss of 5 pounds.

Phillips arrives early and puts in extra work on off days. And he studies extra film.

And in his rare spare time, he volunteers often on behalf of the organization.

Phillips has worked on his hands. He's worked on his patience. He's worked on setting an edge against the run.

He wants to be a truly dominant NFL force.

Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Florida Network. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins Top 25 players summer countdown includes Tua Tagovailoa