S Kerby Joseph: NFL Draft scouting report

Kerby Joseph is a safety that played his college ball at Illinois. He spent four years playing for the Fighting Illini and played in 31 total games. Joseph had 116 tackles and five interceptions in his career. He got hot at the right time with his best season being his last. He played in 12 games and had 57 tackles with five interceptions. Joseph dabbled with playing wide receiver his junior year, but it is clear he should be a safety in the NFL.

S Kerby Joseph: Scouting Report

Joseph figures to play free safety at the next level even though he likely will start out as a depth piece. He excels when he is allowed to be the deep safety to react as the play develops. A scout for an NFC team said “I like the ball skills” and thinks that Joseph will speed up at the next level.

Joseph needs to gain confidence at the next level and try to react quickly if his team has him playing closer to the line. He works better in man coverage, so at the NFL level, he is going to need to work on improving in zone coverage.

Mock Draft landing spots

Mel Kiper/Todd McShay (ESPN): No. 83, Philadelphia Eagles

“Mel handed the Eagles a defensive back in Hill earlier, but remember that this secondary allowed a 69.4% completion percentage last season (tied for the worst in the NFL). Oh, and Joseph is a ball hawk who can play multiple defensive back roles.” – McShay

Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): No. 150, Chicago Bears

Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports): No. 78, Dallas Cowboys