The former Illinois football and current Detroit Lions defensive back had doubters throughout his entire playing career.
It is truly incredible what Kerby Joseph has gone through to get to this point. He was a two-star coming out of high school. He didn’t get a ton of starts in his first three seasons with the Illini either.
Joseph then went through a coaching change. Instead of fleeing for another program, he stuck with the Illini and plowed through. This ended up being a great decision.
By the time his final season in Champaign was complete, Joseph earned All-Big Ten first-team honors and was one of the best players in the country. That final season boosted Joseph’s NFL stock up, and the Lions picked him in the third round No. 97 overall.
A third-round pick is supposed to be good, but I don’t know if anyone thought Joseph was going to be this good, though. From day one, he has jumped into the fray and has performed at an incredible level.
Joseph is now in year three, and he only continues to improve. The Lions’ social media account posted on Thursday a graphic with some impressive stats.
The graphic reads, among all NFL safeties to be targeted 15+ times in coverage this season, Jospeh ranks; 1st in passer rating allowed, 1st in completion percentage allowed, and 1st in interception-target rate.
Top of the heap@JKERB25 @PFF pic.twitter.com/weQY5XW1iv
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 31, 2024
Those numbers take someone like Joseph from a really good player to an All-Pro type of talent for Detroit. But when you dig even deeper, you will see the type of impact he has made on the Lions in about two and a half years.
Kerby Joseph has impacted the Detroit Lions from day one, and things are only getting better in the Motor City
It is impressive that Joseph ranks first in all of those categories. He is someone who is making quite the impact in Detroit, but I think his presence is felt in more ways than one.
Joseph is now seven games into his third season, and he has already started in 36 contests. The year before Joseph got to Detroit, the Lions gave up 27.5 points per game, which ranked No. 31 out of 32 NFL teams.
Since his arrival, Detroit has steadily improved. In 2022, the Lions gave up 25.1 points, ranking No. 28 out of 32 teams. In 2023, they gave up 23.8 points, ranking No. 25 out of 32 teams. This season, the Lions have exploded on defense, giving up just 19.1 points per game, which ranks No. 8 out of 32 franchises.
As a rookie, Joseph was fourth on the team with 82 tackles and led the Lions with four interceptions. A sophomore slump wasn’t in store for Joseph either. Last season, he was third on the team with 82 tackles and once again, led Detroit with four interceptions. In 2024, Joseph already has 39 tackles and a career-high five interceptions through seven games. I haven’t even mentioned his 26 pass deflections through 36 starts.
There are multiple reasons why the Lions haven’t had a losing season since 2021. I think you have to put the addition of Joseph as one of those reasons. He has been the heart and soul of the Detroit secondary, and don’t expect him to slow down anytime soon.