New York Giants 7-round mock draft replacing lost veterans with young talent
Round 3, pick No. 67: S Kerby Joseph, Illinois
With the loss of Logan Ryan and Jabrill Peppers, the New York Giants are in need of safetys. As the only safety’s currently under contract are Julian Love, and Xavier McKinney. With this in mind, I believe a good player to fill this hole is Kerby Joseph out of Illinois.
Coming in at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Kerby Joseph had himself a breakout season at Illinois after not being much of a factor for the team during his first three seasons. In 11 games played, Kerby Joseph tallied 57 combined tackles, five interceptions, four pass deflections, while only allowing nine receptions on 19 targets for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
While there are things that Kerby Joseph needs to work on, such as his form tackling, and reaction time in the run game, this is something that will likely come to Joseph quickly, as he is somewhat new to playing safety.
Something the New York Giants have lacked at safety for a long time is elite coverage, with Ryan, Peppers, and Julian Love, all being below average or worse in that aspect. However, when the NY Giants drafted Xavier McKinney in the 2020 NFL Draft, they finally found their coverage safety.
It just so happens that Kerby Josephs biggest strength is his ability in coverage, especially in the zone. If they can draft Joseph to pair with Xavier McKinney, they may form one of the better safety duo’s in the NFL down the line.
While Kerby Joseph is somewhat of a raw prospect, his massive upside as a new player to his position makes him a must-draft prospect in the third round.