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Kerby Joseph NFL Draft Profile
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Kerby Joseph Scouting ReportJoseph’s physical profile is, in fact, quite enticing. The Illinois safety stands at around 6’1″, 200 pounds. With that frame, he has 33 1/8″ arms. That’s elite length for a defensive back, and it affords him a massive disruption radius at the catch point, as well as impressive leverage as a tackler. Joseph is an explosive athlete with long strides. He can accelerate quickly and easily track receivers downfield. When he opens his hips and actively pursues plays, he hits a great second gear. With his explosiveness and speed, Joseph possesses high-end range. The Illinois safety can close in from sideline to sideline and erase space for offensive players. He also closes ground quickly when triggering downhill on ball carriers. Joseph has good short-area quickness and twitch, which he can use to adjust and maintain his tackling angles in pursuit, as well as recover after misses. Joseph also has exceptionally fluid hips. He can stack direction changes and explode into space, and he has good balance on his backpedal. He can sink his hips to pinch angles and keep his speed in space. Joseph underpins his game with great overall awareness. He’s an active processor and communicator pre-snap, and he’s also an adaptable player post-snap. He recognizes motions, but he also knows offensive tendencies and can maintain discipline when being baited. He’s shown he can process play fakes and react quickly. Joseph has constant field vision, and he’s instinctive with how he positions himself on the back end. He can leverage his hips on his backpedal to wall off routes coming downfield. He’s also able to adapt mid-rep. He can peel off deep routes and move upfield on scramble drills, but he’s also shown he can magnetize to routes and quickly pass them off to other defenders. All this, and Joseph still actively follows the quarterback’s eyes to judge intent, and he can quickly flip his hips and close off windows. Joseph can use deception and move around the defense. He takes a lot of reps at single-high, but he can also play two-high and in the box. He has the range to feign the blitz, then bail and quickly recover positioning downfield. Moreover, in the box, Joseph is patient yet urgent. Sifting through congestion, he’s still able to read the field, stay square, and flow to the ball using his lateral agility. Joseph’s best trait might be his playmaking ability at the catch point. He’s strong and competitive in contested situations, and he has excellent ball skills, ball-tracking ability, and body control in midair. But he can be a playmaker on the ground as well. He has the strength, wingspan, and spatial awareness to make tackles in open space. |
Areas for ImprovementJoseph put up some strong 2021 tape, but there are still a few areas where he can improve. Although Joseph has strong instincts and awareness, he is prone to slower reactions at times. He can be a tick late responding to misdirections, and he can show better anticipation based on formations. Additionally, Joseph is occasionally late to act on information that he processes. He can freeze in his stance when reading the QB and sometimes fails to recognize deep route concepts and anticipate angles. Joseph’s inconsistencies with reaction seem to stem more from stimuli than processing. He processes well but does second-guess himself at times. He can be more efficient breaking on passes, as he sometimes hesitates while reading the QB. Similarly, Joseph can be a bit late recognizing runs and breaking back upfield, and he can also get drawn upfield by play-action and vacate zones. Moreover, Joseph has room to be a bit smoother out of his backpedal at times. He can also better quicken his strides to maximize his range in open space, and he can be a bit grabby in man coverage. In the box, there are issues as well. Joseph sometimes loses his balance at the tackle point and lets players slip away, and he also freezes up occasionally. He can dish out hard hits, and he’s a physical player, but there are times when he doesn’t effectively carry his momentum. In a similar vein, while Joseph can stack and shed receivers, he doesn’t always drive through blocks, and he can be rerouted if he’s not careful.
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Kerby Joseph Career at SchoolJoseph’s collegiate career was especially uneventful until his final season. The Illinois safety spent his first three years building up experience. Still, he only started two games over that stretch, compiling 59 tackles, 4 pass deflections, and a forced fumble through his junior year. Joseph came into 2021 with little fanfare. But the arrival of experienced defensive mind Bret Bielema changed things. Joseph exploded onto the scene in the Big Ten, amassing 57 tackles, a sack, 5 interceptions, 2 pass deflections, and 2 fumble recoveries in 12 games. Coming out of virtually nowhere, Joseph became a first-team All-Big Ten honoree and earned All-American honors from various outlets.
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Kerby Joseph NFL Draft Player ProfileWith his explosiveness, length, and playmaking ability, Joseph projects as a high-upside free safety in the NFL, with effective single-high capabilities. He can still refine his ability in the box a bit, but his ability to stack blockers and navigate congestion, at the very least, alludes to upside there. The offseason has already done wonders for Joseph’s stock, and by the end of the process, he could be a Round 2 selection.
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