Fuck it, these are so short, we can just put them all here. Machota gave this pick a C.
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Dallas Cowboys draft CB Kelvin Joseph: Address one of team’s biggest needs
By
Jon Machota Apr 30, 2021
The
Cowboys picked Kentucky cornerback
Kelvin Joseph on Friday with the No. 44 pick in the 2021
NFL Draft. Joseph is the Cowboys’ second defensive pick in this draft after picking linebacker Micah Parsons in the first round. Joseph was the seventh cornerback off the board.
Big Board ranking: The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Joseph
No. 52 overall on his Big Board.
Introduction: The Cowboys need defensive playmakers and Joseph showcased some ability in that area last season, intercepting four passes in nine games before opting out for the rest of the season. He should come in and immediately compete for a starting cornerback spot opposite of last year’s second-round pick, Trevon Diggs.
How he fits: Joseph has the ideal size for Dan Quinn’s defensive scheme at 6-0, 200 pounds with 32-inch arms.
Second guess? As Brugler pointed out, Joseph has some maturity concerns, but is a first–round physical talent. If he can adapt to the pro game, the Cowboys might have gotten a steal. If he struggles with maturity, this could end up being a huge mistake. The Raiders traded up to get ahead of Dallas to draft TCU safety Trevon Moehrig with the No. 43 pick. If Joseph struggles and Moehrig becomes a star safety, there will be plenty of second-guessing about why the Cowboys didn’t trade up to get their free safety of the future. After all, Dallas entered Day 2 with 10 picks remaining in the final six rounds.
Rookie impact: “The Cowboys are getting a playmaker,” Joseph said. “I’m an all-around smart player who is coming in ready to learn, ready to work and ready to take the team to another level.”
Depth chart impact: Joseph will likely compete with Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown for a starting spot. Mike McCarthy has preached to the team about takeaways since getting the head coaching job last year. That was one of the few areas the team improved in a year ago. The hope is that Joseph will be able to use his size and athletic ability to further improve a secondary that for the better part of the last decade has struggled to intercept passes.
Fast evaluation: After missing out on a cornerback in the first round, the Cowboys needed to address the position with one of their four Day 2 picks. They hit on Diggs in the second round last year. He made an immediate impact. If Joseph can have anywhere near that kind of success, this was a great pick for Dallas. “I feel like we fitting to do a lot of damage,” Joseph said of pairing with Diggs. “We’re both physical, fast, smart and we’re playmakers. We’re just going to put our techniques together and just learn off each other.”