The Atlanta Falcons made significant investments at cornerback in 2023, adding Jeff Okudah via trade, signing veteran Mike Hughes, and drafting Clark Phillips in the fourth round. While Okudah justifiably was the headline acquisition there, Phillips was immediately intriguing after a strong college career and given his particular brand of playmaking, instinctual football.
It didn’t translate to an immediate role, but by season’s end, Phillips was being thrown into the fire as a starter. There were ups and downs along the way, but we saw plenty of glimpses of the promise that could make Phillips a long-term starter in this league, and now he’ll have a head coach in Raheem Morris who ought to be committed to getting the most he can out of the young cornerback.