The Detroit Lions selected Kerby Joseph with the 97th overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. During his name alone warrants an A+, let’s look at the choice.
My class: A+
The Lions had a safety need that they passed on in the first round and they passed again in the second round. Things looked shaky early in the third round, but the Lions got their man. Kerby Joseph is a very skilled defender who should thrive as a third safety under the management of Aaron Glenn and Aubrey Pleasant.
The lions get an objectively good player here.
Detroit Lions select Illinois safety Kerby Joseph 97th overall.
90.8 PF grade since 2020 (second highest among Power Five collateral) pic.twitter.com/8Jqswf0kHs
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) April 30, 2022
With the 97th pick #lions Select Illinois S Kerby Joseph as announced by @BarrySanders Joseph was one @seniorbowl Guy. He was the nation’s No. 1 defender by PFF in the 2021 regular season.
— Dannie (@dannierogers___) April 30, 2022
Joseph is not a top athlete, but he is a good one. He did not have enough measurements to qualify for a RAS score, but his available recorded measurements averaged a grade in the top sevens (i.e., still very good).
From a value perspective, this pick is off the charts. He fills a glaring need in the Lions’ secondary school and it shouldn’t be long before he’s a starter. That is Great value at the end of the third round. Likewise, it allows Will Harris to flex in a cornerback role, as he did (and did well) at the end of last season. Joseph’s addition almost fills two holes in that defense with his arrival.
Had it not been for an exceptionally deep safety class, Kerby Joseph could easily have gone earlier than late in the third round. Even with this year’s depth, it didn’t look like it would last as long as he did.
a handful of defenders that would look really good here at Pick 46. Livelier, Dean still there. Kerby Joseph, Chad Muma. Drake Jackson, Travis Jones.
— Benjamin Raven (@BenjaminSRaven) April 30, 2022
The Lions have a stallion with a track record of high production who will likely be a first-year starter, and they got him at the end of the third round. That’s a big win in my book.