‘They’re right there.’ Could UK have two first-round NFL picks this year?
Mel Kiper Jr. turned some heads when he ranked Kelvin Joseph as the No. 25 prospect available on his “Big Board” a couple of weeks ago.
However Joseph, a junior cornerback who played in nine games for the University of Kentucky football team before opting out prior to its final regular-season game, was not among the top 32 picks of Kiper’s latest mock draft released Thursday. Kiper’s still high on Joseph but explained that result during a conference call with reporters on Monday.
In part, it was based on further conversation with peers who, while still favorable, don’t project him quite as high for the NFL Draft, which is scheduled for April 29-May 1.
“I kind of went with the consensus there and said he’s more of a borderline first,” Kiper said. “I could have gone with him very easily in the late first round but I have him more as an early- to mid-second. What’s gonna really give him a chance to be a late first round is the pro day. If he runs in the 4.3s, with his length and his athleticism? And he had the four interceptions. …
“This year I thought he played really well, in the games I looked at. Some people want to scrutinize and say ‘consistency,’ well yeah every cornerback’s gonna have moments of that, lapses in concentration and consistency issues. But the talent’s there, the length is there. If he has the great pro day, I think he could go in the late first. At worst, early- to mid-second.”
Jordan Reid, an analyst for The Draft Network, said Joseph is one of the most impressive prospects in the class at his position. Austin Gayle, an analyst for Pro Football Focus, concurs, but both have reservations about him getting selected on the first night.
“Round one wouldn’t be surprising based on his traits alone,” Reid wrote in an email to the Herald-Leader. “… Cornerbacks of his size and stature that move as fluidly as he does hardly ever make it out of the first round, but with some off-the-field hiccups, it may force him into the second- or even third-round area.”
It’s possible that Joseph isn’t even the first Kentucky player who hears his name called come April. Jamin Davis has soared in prospect mock drafts over the last month; Matt Miller, founder of The Draft Scout and an ESPN analyst, had the Cleveland Browns selecting him 26th overall, three picks after he has the New York Jets taking Joseph in his most recent mock.
Kiper likes what Davis brings to the table, as well. His film-evaluation grades from the 2020 season are “great” and his pass-coverage statistics jump out.
“All over the field making his presence felt,” Kiper said. “He should test well. … I could see Jamin Davis going early second and Kelvin maybe going mid-second, or vice versa. They’re right there. Their grades are very similar, both those Kentucky kids. You’ve got a really good corner and a really good all-around linebacker.”
NFL teams will be “drooling” over Davis’ measurables, Gayle said. His quickness and ability to move at 6-foot-4, 234 pounds is a difference-maker.
Davis also has a perceived advantage that Joseph does not: Reid said there’s no true standout middle linebacker in the draft class, possibly affording him more runway to impress teams during pre-draft workouts.
“He wasn’t asked to do a ton of complex things in coverage at UK, and his collegiate production/PFF grading profile doesn’t leap off the page,” Gayle wrote in an email to the Herald-Leader. “But it’s a traits-driven process when it comes to the NFL Draft, and he’s got the movement skills and length teams want at the position in today’s NFL.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2021 at 2:34 PM.
