Dallas Cowboys draft grade after selecting CB Kelvin Joseph No. 44 overall

With the first of their four Day 2 draft picks, the Dallas Cowboys end up standing pat in the second-round with the 44th overall pick and draft Kelvin Joseph, cornerback, Kentucky. Joseph’s addition gets them a starting-caliber CB prospect to pair with last year’s second-round pick, Trevon Diggs.

Dane Brugler’s thoughts on Kelvin Joseph…

A one-year starter at Kentucky, Joseph was a boundary cornerback in head coach Mark Stoops’ zone/man scheme. After fizzling out after one season at LSU, he put together a productive nine games in Lexington in 2020 (four interceptions in nine games) before his effort level fell off and the coaches directed him to opt out (Stoops: “I can’t have him out there standing around…”). A big-time athlete, Joseph has the rare ability to shadow routes without losing balance, displaying twitchy feet, fluid movements and high-end ball skills to consistently make plays. However, the sample size (nine career starts) and character questions are a concern and his undisciplined eyes lead to completions for the offense. Overall, Joseph won’t be a fit for every organization due to his maturity concerns, but he has first-round physical talent and the athleticism to blanket any type of receiver, which is why a team will likely roll the dice on him in the top-50 picks.

44. Dallas Cowboys: B+

Lack of experience and maturity concerns keep the Dallas Cowboys from receiving a higher draft grade by selecting CB Kelvin Joseph with the 44th overall pick in the second round, but the untapped potential is worthy of at least “B+”.

Joseph, at just under six foot, isn’t as tall of a CB prospect that we’ve seen the Cowboys target over the past few years, but he is someone who can match up with just about any type of WR in the league. His versatility to play at a high level in both zone and man coverage makes him an excellent fit opposite Trevon Diggs in Dan Quinn’s heavy Cover 1-3 scheme.

Quinn and his coaching staff now have the tough task of determining how to utilize Kelvin Joseph best early on. His inexperience makes him a questionable plug-and-play starter as a rookie, but his natural talent and ball skills could outweigh his rawness.

Overall, this is another risky selection for the Cowboys after selecting LB Micah Parsons 12th overall in the first round yesterday. Both players come with maturity and lack of experience concerns, but both are superb athletes with extremely high ceilings. How the Cowboys manage to mold these pieces of clay will create a big imprint on how this roster is shaped for years to come.