Kelvin Joseph

Kelvin Joseph
refer to caption
Joseph with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022
No. 21 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1999-11-11) November 11, 1999 (age 25)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Scotlandville Magnet (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
College:
NFL draft:2021 / round: 2 / pick: 44
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:39
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:4
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Kelvin Joseph Jr (born November 11, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft. He played college football at LSU and Kentucky.

Early life

Joseph grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and attended Scotlandville Magnet High School. As a junior, he tallied 67 tackles, 3 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns) and 12 pass breakups, while contributing to the team winning the 5A state title. He received All-District, District 4-5A Co-Defensive MVP, All-Metro and Class 5A All-state honors.

As a senior, he had 113 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and three interceptions. He was named class 5A All-State and played in the All-American Bowl.[1] He scored a combined 13 touchdowns, from punts, kickoffs and interception returns over the course of his high school career.[2] He also practiced basketball and was a teammate of Javonte Smart.

Joseph committed to play college football at LSU over offers from Alabama, Florida State, Auburn, and Florida.[3]

College career

As a true freshman, he played in 11 games, making 12 tackles and breaking up a pass. He had 4 tackles against the University of Mississippi. He entered the transfer portal after being suspended from playing in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl for violating team rules, but later withdrew his name and participated in LSU's spring practices.[4] Joseph re-entered the transfer portal in July 2019 and announced that he would be transferring to the University of Kentucky the following month.[5][6][7]

Joseph sat out his sophomore year due to NCAA transfer rules.[8] As a redshirt sophomore, he started in 9 games and was a part of a defense that had 5 players selected in the 2021 NFL draft. He recorded 9 starts, 25 tackles, a tackle for loss, one pass breakup and tied for second in the SEC with four interceptions in his only season of playing time with the Wildcats.[9] He opted out of the last game left in the regular season, in order to focus on preparing for the 2021 NFL draft.[10]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 11+1⁄2 in
(1.82 m) 		197 lb
(89 kg) 		31+7⁄8 in
(0.81 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.34 s 1.44 s 2.48 s 4.23 s 7.21 s 35.0 in
(0.89 m)		 10 ft 8 in
(3.25 m)
All values from Pro Day[11][12][13]

Dallas Cowboys

Joseph was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round (44th overall) of the 2021 NFL draft, after dropping because of character concerns.[14] He signed his four-year rookie contract with Dallas on June 10, 2021.[15] He missed most of the OTAs after contracting COVID-19. He suffered a groin injury in the last preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2021, to start the season.[16] He was activated on October 30.[17] He spent most of the season playing on special teams. He played his most defensive snaps in the fifteenth game against the Washington Football Team. He started the last two games of the season. In the season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, quarterback Gardner Minshew threw the ball to the sideline, where Joseph anticipated to make a play on the ball, but it bounced off his hands into the air, only to be caught by wide receiver DeVonta Smith. He appeared in 10 games, collecting 13 tackles (one for loss), 2 pass breakups and 2 special teams tackles.

In 2022, he was expected to compete for a starting role against Anthony Brown, but finished instead as a core special teams player. He played a lot against the Green Bay Packers, after Brown suffered a concussion and Jourdan Lewis was lost to injury in the previous contest. He entered in the third quarter of the twelfth game against the Indianapolis Colts, in place of Brown who suffered a torn Achilles tendon, but Joseph allowed a touchdown catch. In the thirteenth game against the Minnesota Vikings, he committed a pass interference penalty on his first play and left at halftime because he got sick. He started in the fourteenth game against the Jaguars, but gave up two touchdowns and was benched in favor of Nahshon Wright. After playing 37 defensive snaps in that game, he played just two in the final 3 contests of the season. He fared much better as a gunner on special teams. In the NFC Divisional playoff round against the San Francisco 49ers, he forced Ray-Ray McCloud to fumble on a punt return early in the third quarter. He appeared in 16 games, registering 13 defensive tackles, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and 7 special teams tackles (third on the team).

In the 2023 preseason, Joseph was worked at the nickel corner and safety positions, behind second-year player DaRon Bland.

Miami Dolphins

On August 29, 2023, the Cowboys traded Joseph to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for former first round draft choice Noah Igbinoghene.[18] He appeared in 4 games as a backup cornerback and had 2 tackles. He was released on November 14, 2023.[19]

Seattle Seahawks

On November 26, 2023, the Seattle Seahawks signed Joseph to their practice squad.[20] He was elevated to the active roster for the Week 16 game against the Tennessee Titans and had one tackle. He was released from the practice squad on January 15, 2024.

Kansas City Chiefs

On January 17, 2024, Joseph signed a reserve/future contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.[21] On February 11, 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII and Joseph earned a ring.[22] He was waived on August 26.[23]

Indianapolis Colts

On September 10, 2024, the Indianapolis Colts signed Joseph to their practice squad, but released two weeks later.[24] He re-signed with the Colts practice squad on October 1.[25] He was released on October 29.[26]

Minnesota Vikings

On December 4, 2024, Joseph was signed to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad.[27]

Personal life

Joseph has released rap records under the pseudonym "YKDV Bossman Fat".[28] YKDV stands for "You Know Da Vibe".[29]

In April 2022, Dallas police announced that they were seeking to speak with Joseph as a "person of interest" in their investigation of a fatal shooting that had occurred in March.[30] Video footage of an altercation at a nightclub in the city's Lower Greenville neighborhood that preceded the murder showed that one of the men involved was wearing a "YKDV" necklace.[31] In an interview with the Dallas Morning News on April 15, an attorney stated that Joseph was not the shooter but was a passenger in the vehicle from which the fatal shots were fired.[32] A day after Joseph met with investigators, two men from his hometown of Baton Rouge were arrested in connection with the incident.[33]

References

  1. ^ Roush, Nick (August 26, 2019). "Meet Kelvin Joseph, the LSU Cornerback who could become a Kentucky Wildcat". Kentucky Sports Radio. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  2. ^ Dellenger, Ross (February 7, 2018). "The compelling story of new LSU signee, Scotlandville safety Kelvin Joseph". The Advocate. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  3. ^ Zarate, Eric (January 6, 2018). "4-star recruit Kelvin Joseph commits to LSU". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  4. ^ Boone, Kyle (August 27, 2019). "Former LSU defensive back Kelvin Joseph reveals Kentucky as transfer destination". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  5. ^ Kubena, Brooks (July 15, 2019). "Report: LSU DB Kelvin Joseph back in the NCAA transfer portal". The Advocate. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  6. ^ Stephenson, Creg (August 27, 2019). "Former LSU DB Kelvin Joseph transfers to Kentucky". AL.com. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  7. ^ Hale, Jon (September 4, 2019). "LSU transfer Kelvin Joseph could impact Kentucky football even before playing". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  8. ^ Moore, Josh (March 5, 2020). "'I'm going to war with somebody else now.' LSU transfer ready for new start at UK". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  9. ^ "Kelvin Joseph 2020 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  10. ^ Marcum, Jason (November 30, 2020). "Kelvin Joseph opting out to focus on 2021 NFL Draft". A Sea Of Blue. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  11. ^ "Kelvin Joseph Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  12. ^ "Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky, CB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  13. ^ "Kelvin Joseph 2021 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  14. ^ Phillips, Rob (April 30, 2021). "What CB Kelvin Joseph Adds To Cowboys Secondary". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  15. ^ Robinson, Sam (June 10, 2021). "Cowboys Sign Round 2 CB Kelvin Joseph". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  16. ^ Phillips, Rob (September 2, 2021). "CeeDee's Return Among Several Roster Moves". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  17. ^ "Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph activated from injured reserve, expected to make debut vs. Vikings". Dallas News. October 30, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  18. ^ Archer, Todd (August 29, 2023). "Cowboys land Igbinoghene from Dolphins for Joseph in CB swap". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  19. ^ "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. November 14, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  20. ^ Boyle, John (November 26, 2023). "Seahawks Sign CB Kelvin Joseph & WR Cody White To Practice Squad". Seahawks.com. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  21. ^ Goldman, Charles (May 27, 2024). "Chiefs OTAs: Ex-Cowboys second-round draft pick making some noise". AtoZSports.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  22. ^ "Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 11th, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  23. ^ Easton Jr, Ed. "Chiefs Cut Tracker: Which players were released after the preseason?". Chiefs Wire. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  24. ^ Erickson, Joel. "Colts sign former second-round pick Kelvin Joseph to practice squad after Brents injury". Indy Star. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  25. ^ "Colts place DE Tyquan Lewis on injured reserve, sign DT Adam Gotsis to 53-man roster from practice squad, sign CB Kelvin Joseph to practice squad". colts.com. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  26. ^ "Colts restore QB Jason Bean to practice squad, sign CB Tre Flowers and RB Evan Hull to practice squad, make additional practice squad moves". Colts.com. October 29, 2024.
  27. ^ Peters, Craig (December 4, 2024). "Vikings Sign Former Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph to Practice Squad". Vikings.com.
  28. ^ Fisher, Mike (June 29, 2021). "Cowboys Rookie CB Kelvin Joseph: 'I'll Be Ready'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  29. ^ Archer, Todd (April 15, 2022). "Dallas Cowboys' Kelvin Joseph was passenger in vehicle in which fatal shots were fired but didn't shoot gun, attorney says". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  30. ^ Robinson, Charles (April 14, 2022). "Sources: Dallas police seeking Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph as 'person of interest' in murder investigation". Yahoo! News. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  31. ^ Archer, Todd (April 14, 2022). "Sources: Police seek to speak with Dallas Cowboys' Kelvin Joseph in connection to fatal shooting". ABC News. Retrieved April 15, 2022 – via ESPN.com.
  32. ^ Archer, Todd (April 15, 2022). "Dallas Cowboys' Kelvin Joseph was in suspect vehicle in murder investigation but didn't shoot, attorney says". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  33. ^ Archer, Todd (April 16, 2022). "Two arrested in homicide involving Dallas Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.