Kelvin Joseph is a super underrated corner from the University of Kentucky. He has adequate size and speed with great technique and with a little bit of development in some aspects of his game he has the versatility to play man in off and press coverage, as well as zone coverage at a high level. He’s certainly a corner I like more than most and he will end up finishing as my CB4.

Strengths: 

  • Great Size

At 6’1 192 Kelvin Joseph is bigger than the prototypical NFL cornerback. He’s very big and plays his size with his physicality, and he also has great length which pairs well with his great ball skills.

  • Extremely Agile/Fluid Hips

For his size Kelvin Joseph has great quickness that allows him to stick with quicker receivers. He has great footwork to pair with that quickness and extremely fluid hips that allow him to turn and run. He has the size to not be pushed around by bigger receivers and the quickness to keep up with faster receivers.

  • Good Play Speed

Others raise concerns about Kelvin Joseph’s speed however, I think he has great play speed. He has enough speed to keep up with receivers downfield and when changing directions. It’s evidenced by how easily he was able to keep up with Alabama’s Devonta Smith.

  • Great Physicality

With the size and length that Kelvin Joseph has, physicality could be extremely useful if used well and not overdone, which Kelvin Joseph does and he does a great job balancing being physical to throw off receivers without getting too grabby.

  • Great Ball Skills

Kelvin Joseph has amazing ball skills and excels when the ball is in the air. He does a great job tracking and positioning himself well to play the ball, and he uses his long arms in a well and timely manner to knock away and intercept passes.

Weaknesses: 

  • Not Great Instincts

This is a concern that in my opinion is a bit overblown and I believe that he will definitely be able to fix it up after more time in the league. He only played the position for two years in college so his feel where the ball was going isn’t great, but I’ve seen flashes of great instincts, and with time he should improve.

  • Still Inexperienced

As mentioned before Kelvin Joseph doesn’t have the understanding of the position like some other guys do. He has issues reading routes and being set up by receivers, but again this is an issue that will be fixed with time. He certainly is a project but I believe the pieces are in place for him to be a great corner in the NFL.  

Player Comp: Darius Slay is a comparison that I really like for Kelvin Joseph. If he Joseph plays near his ceiling I think that he can be a player who is extremely similar to Slay in talent and play style, and he already has a similar athletic profile. Both guys are around 6’1 192 lbs and have great size, physicality, and quickness, although Slay might be a bit faster. Both guys have the versatility to play zone and off/press man extremely well. In a few years I think that Kelvin Joseph can be extremely similar to Darius Slay.

Final Thoughts: Kelvin Joseph is one of my draft crushes and other than the experience concerns I think that there’s not many gripes about Joseph. He has so many things that he does well and with his athletic traits, with some great coaching he’s going to be a versatile corner because he’s shown flashes of doing everything at a high level. I think the late first round range is where I would first consider Joseph, although I love that teams will likely get better value then that for Joseph. Fit matters a lot for Joseph and teams shouldn’t expect him to be a quality day one starter. The Eagles at the start of Round 2 are about to undergo a rebuild and could really use a corner opposite of Slay now and a guy who can replace Slay long term, and he can play an extremely similar role to him in the Eagles defense. The key with Joseph is patience, he’s going to get beat early on but a team has to stay committed to developing if they want to reap the benefits of Kelvin Joseph.