Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: Kerby Joseph, Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini safety Kerby Joseph had his breakout season come at the right time.
The ball-hawking safety finished his final college season with five interceptions, tying in first place for the most interceptions by a player in a single season.
The Las Vegas Raiders will be looking to add a safety who can complement the secondary for the next season.
“Joseph has good instincts and awareness as a safety. He lacks the speed and athleticism that would make him an intriguing free safety prospect,” NFL Draft Bible noted.
At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Joseph tracks the ball well, he fluently mirrors the steps of the wide receivers and finishes with spectacular moves.
Joseph's arm length allows him to disrupt the catch radius of any receiver and has great hands to intercept the ball.
The off-the-ball safety finished his final season at Illinois with 57 total tackles (41 solos), one tackle for a loss, one sack, five interceptions, two pass breakups, and three forced recoveries.
Joseph allowed only two catches for 24 yards in the final seven games, and Pro Football Focus graded Joseph with a 90.4 overall grade, making him the fifth-highest safety in 2021.
Joseph became the fifth Illini safety in the last 50 years to earn All-Big Ten first-team honors.
For the 2021 season, Joseph earned recognition as All-Big Ten first-team vote by the media, All-Big Ten second team by coaches, AP All-Big Ten first team, PFF All-American second team, and PFF All-Big Ten second team.
The Fighting Illini safety is a fantastic tackler, and he’s shown he can thrive as a gunner on special teams.
Joseph does have the inability to see the field and often stares down quarterbacks far too long. It might be a concern at times but it is completely correctable with more playing time.
The Raiders can add a key asset on Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft by drafting Joseph, who can contribute right away on special teams and develop into a starting role in the secondary.
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