Instant analysis on the Detroit Lions’ selection of Kerby Joseph

The Detroit Lions lastly addressed one of many staff’s most urgent wants with their number of Illinois security Kerby Josephy on the finish of the third spherical.

Joseph, a transformed large receiver, brings the arms of a pass-catcher to the protection. Although he solely began one 12 months for the Illini, he tallied 5 interceptions final 12 months and was PFF’s highest-graded security within the nation with a 90.4 PFF grade. Right here’s what PFF’s stay draft tracker needed to say in regards to the choose:

Joseph remains to be very a lot studying the protection place, however he has uncoachable ball abilities and size. He’s additionally such a simple mover and may get seems at split-field security and within the field in Detroit. He simply wants extra expertise on the place to actually develop right into a authentic starter within the league.

At 6-foot, 203 kilos with 10.25-inch arms and 33-inch arms—each close to the highest of this class at security—Joseph has all the bodily instruments to be an excellent security on this league. Nonetheless, with simply the one 12 months at security, his recreation might want to develop.

Joseph’s instincts as a canopy security are literally extra developed than his abilities as a run defender, a trait he credit to his historical past as a large receiver.

“I really feel receiver additionally helped me study what offenses are searching for, like what are the targets as offense, like ideas and all that,” Joseph instructed reporters on Friday night time.

This can be a strong choose for the Lions as a result of it converges want, expertise, and worth. Joseph was 73rd on PFF’s massive board, 103rd on Dane Brugler’s, and 138th on The Draft Community’s. He ought to compete for a beginning job with DeShon Elliott with the expectation to overhaul the job in the long run. And getting a possible beginning security within the third spherical is clearly good worth for a staff with so many defensive wants. Even when Joseph doesn’t win the starter job instantly, he was a implausible particular teamer in school and will very properly win the gunner job in Detroit instantly.

Apparently sufficient, the Indianapolis Colts jumped the Detroit Lions proper earlier than this choose to take Maryland security Nick Cross. Detroit nonetheless acquired a security of equal worth with Joseph, and since they’d so many pre-draft visits with Joseph (NFL Mix, Senior Bowl, and a top-30 go to), it’s cheap to imagine they favored him extra anyhow.