Raiders 2023 7-round NFL Mock Draft: Las Vegas moves on from Derek Carr
Raiders 2023 7-round NFL Mock Draft: Las Vegas moves on from Derek Carr
819. . S. Fighting Irish . Brandon Joseph. 72. player
After grabbing an elite corner in the first round, we double down on rebuilding the defensive backfield by snagging a safety in round three. Brandon Joseph out of Notre Dame is the selection here and many scouts have given him a mid-to-late second round grade so is an absolute steal here.
Joseph spent the first three years of his college career at Northwestern and racked up 129 tackles and nine interceptions in 22 games. He transferred to Notre Dame for his final year and recorded just one interception but gave up a QB rating of just 70.7 when targeted.
Scouts rave about Joseph’s ball skills and ability to track the ball downfield and commend him for his ability to read and react quickly. His tackling skills are above average, and he is not afraid to lay the wood when needed on opposing ball carriers.
He has good size for a safety at 6-1 and 196 pounds and his 40 time of 4.52 is good enough for either safety position.
The concerns around him are his inconsistent tackling technique and what scouts described as playing out of control at times. Joseph will need to be coached up on controlling his aggression but it’s easier to teach a guy to tap the brakes then it is to convince them to go full throttle. Joseph could learn under Duron Harmon for a season and go on to take over the starting role for the future.