Phidarian Mathis was a draft bust. No doubt about it.
The Washington Commanders selected him at No. 47 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft after an illustrious career at Alabama, and he registered 25 tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass deflection, and one fumble recovery in three seasons in the nation’s capitol before being released by the club that drafted him. Actually, he was cut before the end of his third professional campaign.
Advertisement
Following a brief stint with the New York Jets, the Buffalo Bills signed Mathis to their practice early in the 2025 campaign… and now he’s positioned to be a key dirty-work piece in Jim Leonhard’s defensive front in Buffalo with a brand-new philosophy.
Why is that?
Well, the answer stems from the reason why Mathis coveted in the 2022 draft.
With the Crimson Tide, under legendary coach Nick Saban, Mathis was outrageously good. But not in the conventional way for a defensive lineman.
He was the No. 7 defensive tackle recruit in the nation in the 2017 high school class and after a redshirt campaign became a vital two-gapping cog on Saban’s defensive lines.
Saban is one of football’s odd-man front coaching titans. Thickness, power, and the ability to stop the run/control blockers in two gaps were staples of the perennially dominant Crimson Tide defensive lines.
Advertisement
In four seasons at Alabama, Mathis missed five tackles. FIVE. He was never a dynamic pass-rushing specialist but wasn’t asked to be, although he did register nine sacks in his final collegiate season. Saban rarely allowed his interior defensive linemen to attack upfield, and even when an electric interior rusher like Quinnen Williams or Christian Barmore came along, Saban always kept a designated rotation of run-stuffing, block-devouring specialists who could play inside or at end in his odd-man base. The foundation of the Crimson Tide defense was its trench players controlling blockers to give the inside and outside linebackers space and freedom to attack.
And Mathis handled those duties as well as anyone during his time in Tuscaloosa.
At 6’4” and 310 pounds with arms nearly 35” long, he has an exquisite defensive-end-in-a-3-4 physique. To handle two gaps and keep 300-plus pounders at bay, legitimate size and power are necessities. Length helps too. Mathis has all of it.
And now, he goes from potential practice squad call-up for the Bills — and not much else — to critical asset in unlocking a schematic transformation under Leonhard’s watchful eye in Buffalo.
Advertisement
Mathis was ill-fit to play close to the ball at defensive tackle in McDermott’s scheme. He’s not an explosive, upfield penetrator. That’s what the Bills asked him to be last season on his 120 defensive snaps. Ironically, Mathis began his career with McDermott’s mentor and 4-3, one-gapping advocate Ron Rivera — no wonder the former two-gapping star flopped in Washington.
Mathis is significantly more comfortable at five technique — aligned on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle — where there’s more space to operate and he can contain that blocker from moving to the second level. Mathis will be able to match the size and length of many of the offensive tackles he’ll grapple with in Leonhard’s scheme.
Mathis’ stack-and-shed ability — a necessity for two-gappers if they are to be quality run defenders too — was tremendous in college.
“He really anchors well against double teams. Grows roots and is not easily moved…two-gapping skill is next level,” just a few of the nuggets from my scouting report on Mathis before the 2022 draft.
Advertisement
Mathis turned 28 in April. He has had ample time to sculpt an NFL body and add NFL power.
Frankly, he was not effective for the Bills last year. He had 13 tackles and one pressure on those 120 snaps.
But, now, he’s home.
He’s back to the specific role in which he thrived with Saban at Alabama, handling the responsibilities that made him a Top 50 pick.
To date, Mathis has never played 260 snaps in a single season. I expect him to be on the field over 300 snaps for the Bills in 2026.
And I expect Mathis to erase his draft-bust label finally playing in the proper defensive scheme to highlight his skills.
