Measurables
- 6‘3 Height
- 240 lb. Weight
2025 Stats
- 31 Pressures (16.8% Pressure Rate)
- 4 QB Hits
- 6 Sacks
- 20.6% Pass Rush Win Rate
- 90.5 Pass Rush Grade
- 20 Solo Tackles
- 6 Assist Tackles
- 8 Missed Tackles (23.5% Missed Tackle Rate)
- 20 Run Stops
- 3 Forced Fumbles
- 1 Penalty
Strengths
- Explosive athlete with quick first step and acceleration. Nice twitchiness and can close in on a QB quick once he wins.
- Over 34” arms and 80” Wingspan, Josephs has incredible length for a DE and especially for his size. Can win the leverage battle and initiate first contact while not losing the length battle on the Edge.
- Has a nice Club to swipe away opposing linemen’s punch, a good push pull, and uses his explosiveness and bend well to get around the corner of the outside shoulder. Has also shown a nice bull/rip move at times as well.
- Physical player against the run, better than his size would indicate. Can also evade pullers or get under blockers arms to get penetration into the backfield on run plays.
- Frame could add more weight to it, opening up more opportunities in the run and with power moves.
Weaknesses
- Lack of strength and mass hurts his anchor in the run and his ability to execute bull rushes as effectively against bigger linemen. Doesn’t collapse the pocket as well in those matchups.
- Tight End combo or chip blocks push him inside and open up the outside run.
- His torso and knee bend are strong points in his flexibility, but needs to be a bit more flexible in his ankles to maximize his bend in speed rushes in the next level.
- Was a situational player, only 17 starts in college and 626 pass rush snaps over 4 years. Some potential for a larger role, but was matchup dependent on impact in the run game. If he can bulk up a bit in NFL, could have 3 down potential.
Draft Projection
Round 2 Grade
Josephs ranked 50th on my early December Top 100 Big Board with a Round 2 Grade. His speed, explosion, and length is a terrifying combination, and he was able to utilize them for a very high win rate over the last few years. But his situational usage in college does skew the numbers a bit, and he still has a clear area of improvement needed before being an every down player with more strength needed in his game. Tackles with more of a power profile will give him trouble, and teams with wide zone blocking schemes can exploit his issues in Tight End chip awareness to collapse him inside. When used against other matchups and schemes he thrived as a run defender, especially against pullers in man/gap schemes, so there is still potential there as a run defender.
But for a Colts team in need of a quick winner and situational pass rush, this fit is really strong. Laiatu Latu is a everydown DE with his technical refinement and being able to win with finesse while having the size to generate decent strength in power moves and holds up well against the run. However he wins more on the 2nd or 3rd step with his pass rush moves rather than pure explosiveness of the line. JT Tuimoloau is a power rusher who could step into a larger role in 2026. The Colts likely will add another pass rusher or two through Free Agency, but the need for a situational rusher to rotate in on passing downs and can generate quick wins off the line and help open up clean up opportunities for other rushers when the QB starts moving to try to evade the first rusher remains.
Joseph’s potential growth into an every down player will be key for his longterm snap counts continuing to grow, but in the short term his pass rushing profile is very appealing for the Colts to add.
Others in the Draft Community have a Round 2-3 or Round 3 grade on Josephs, and others have him at a Early Round 2 pick. There is a decent chance he could be available when the Colts pick at 47th overall in the draft, and if there should be on a short list of players the Colts would want at that spot at Defensive End.
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