Brandon Joseph NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Detroit Lions' UDFA S

HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 202

HAND: 9"

ARM: 30⅞"

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: 4.62

3-CONE: 7.08

SHUTTLE: 4.23

VERTICAL: 30.5"

BROAD: 9'10"

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POSITIVES

— Versatile defender who can play at all three levels of the defense with the ability to blitz.

— Has a good feel in zone coverage, showing awareness and football IQ.

—Very good ball skills when playing center field. Reads quarterbacks' eyes and looks to jump routes.

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NEGATIVES

— Heavy-footed at times. Lacks burst from standstill.

— Takes poor angles in the open field, leading to missed tackles.

— Lack of play strength can show up at times. Can get bumped off routes when defending tight ends and bigger receivers. Deficiency can also show up when tackling.

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2022 STATISTICS

— 10 games, 30 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU, 1 FF

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NOTES

— 31 Starts

— 2022 Transfer from Northwestern University to Notre Dame

— 2021 AP First-Team Preseason All-American

— 2020 AFCA First-Team All-American (Unanimous)

— 2020 AP First-Team All-American

— 2020 AP First-Team All-Big Ten

— 2020 AP Big Ten Newcomer of the Year

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OVERALL

Brandon Joseph was a one-year player at Notre Dame after transferring in 2022 from Northwestern University. While at Northwestern, Joseph displayed All-American talent, showing elite ball skills and the versatility to play at multiple levels of the defense.

Joseph excels in playing the pass by showing the ability to play deep center field; he demonstrated the range to get to the sideline and the ball skills to track the ball in the air. When playing the pass, he shows great anticipation and the ability to read the quarterback's eyes. As a man or zone defender, he has shown the football IQ needed to read route combinations and the ability to put himself in good positions.

He can struggle at times with his movement skills, lacking the twitch and burst needed to carry routes from a standstill. When playing in underneath zones, he does a good job getting hands on receivers and falling under them to take away windows.

Joseph's flaws often present themselves in the run game. Though he is a willing run defender, he often takes poor angles, where he has to readjust last minute, leading to shoestring tackles or missed tackles altogether.

When tackling in tighter quarters, he can run through ball-carriers and give a little extra thump. However, he often sits and catches ball-carriers, giving up extra yards and taking the brunt of the collision.

Ultimately, Joseph has flashed some impressive skills throughout his career but has been largely inconsistent. He will need to shore up his tackling, which had way too many arm tackles and missed tackles. His versatility gives him more of a chance to find a role, but his lack of short-area quickness will be a concern at the next level. He will need to find a role on special teams while he fights for a spot within the secondary.

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GRADE: 6.4 (High-Level Developmental Prospect/Round 5)

OVERALL RANK: 150

POSITION RANK: S12

PRO COMPARISON: Deionte Thompson

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings