Kansas EDGE Lonnie Phelps signs deal following NFL Draft

Former Kansas EDGE Lonnie Phelps has landed at his new NFL home. After declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft following a terrific 2022 season in Lawrence, Phelps went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. Shortly after on Saturday evening, he signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns, according to Camryn Justice.

Phelps’ entrance into the professional ranks comes after a meteoric rise during his senior season. Out of high school, Phelps committed to play for Miami (OH) and spent three years there before ultimately using the Transfer Portal to his advantage to land at Kansas. In just one season with the Jayhawks, Phelps nearly doubled his career high in tackles with 57 and finished fourth in the Big 12 in sacks with seven last fall.

Phelps played high school football at Cincinnati (OH) MT Healthy, where he was rated as a three-star player and top-1,500 player in the 2019 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Four years and two collegiate stops later, Phelps heads to the pros with more than 100 career tackles and 21 sacks. That’s a tremendous testament to his development since his high school days.

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NFL analyst Lance Zierlein broke down Phelps’ profile over on NFL.com, where he wrote the following about the former Jayhawk star:

“Built for work as a 3-4 outside linebacker with very average size but above average athletic traits and field toughness. Phelps plays with an attacking demeanor and reckless abandon to make it hard for tackles to keep up with his energy for four quarters. He’s explosive and bendy, with the ability to flatten and close to the quarterback. However, he needs to improve his hand usage and technique both as a pass rusher and run defender. Phelps is a demon on special teams and possesses the qualities to become a very good rotational edge defender with a ceiling that has room for growth.”

Phelps was definitely a late riser as a draft prospect, somebody who probably wasn’t even on the radar back in Oxford but has since blown up as a Big 12 standout. And maybe the Kansas name used to be worth mocking, but those Jayhawks were tough this year. They went out and beat good teams thanks to guys like Phelps.

Happy trails to a terrific EDGE rusher for KU.