#25

Kerby Joseph

Former defensive back at Illinois. 2021: 5 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, 57 tackles.

DB · Illinois · Jr. · #25

6′1″ · 190 lb · Orlando, FL

CFB Index 88 · #13 of 509 safetiesLow confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamDetroit — drafted 2022, Rd 3, Pick 33, #97 overall

Recruiting

3★

ATH recruit

No. 1602 nationally · Signed with Illinois

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former defensive back at Illinois. 2021: 5 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, 57 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Illinois in 2018.
Drafted round 3 by the Detroit in 2022.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Illinois, 116 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2021) — drafted at #97 overall by Detroit.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

20188 games

Signed with Illinois3-star out of Jones

202112 games

All-Big Tenfirst

2022

Drafted by Detroitround 3, pick 97

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1602 national

CFB

College

Illinois

2018–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

R3 · #97

Detroit · 2022

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

1 honor

🥈

ALL-BIG TEN · 1ST TEAM

All-Big Ten 1st team (2021)

Coaching lineage · 2018–2021

3 coaches

2018–2019

Lovie Smith

Illinois

2020

Rod Smith

Illinois

era →

2021

Bret Bielema

Illinois

era →

Played under 3 different head coaches: Lovie Smith, Rod Smith, and Bret Bielema. Multi-era developmental context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

DetroitEntering 5th NFL season

#97Rd 3 · Pick 33

DetroitEntering 5th NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2018Illinois4-8HC: Lovie Smith · Run-heavy

2019Illinois6-7HC: Lovie Smith · Run-leaning

2020Illinois2-6HC: Rod Smith · Run-heavy

2021Illinois5-7HC: Bret Bielema · Run-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

88All-Conference level #13 of 509?

Medium confidence8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: interceptions (99th percentile). Strength: solo tackles (90th percentile). Concern: qb hurries (24th percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Interceptions#4 / 824 · 99th pct

Solo tackles#254 / 2743 · 90th pct

Tackles#459 / 2743 · 83rd pct

Passes defended#735 / 2743 · 67th pct

Sacks#829 / 2743 · 61st pct

1.0

Forced fumbles#59 / 673 · 46th pct

Tackles for loss#1821 / 2743 · 28th pct

1.0

QB hurries#1413 / 2743 · 24th pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2021 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home7g	4.6	0.0	0.0	0.1
Road5g	5.0	0.2	0.2	0.2

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	5.1	0.0	0.0	0.3
Weeks 8+5g	4.2	0.2	0.2	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Bret Bielema

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

88 · #13 of 509 safeties

Three-star recruit. Now #13 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Illinois	57	41	1.0	1.0	2	5	--
2020	Illinois	19	12	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
2019	Illinois	30	13	1.0	0.0	3	--	--
2018	Illinois	10	9	0.0	0.0	1	--	1
Career		116	75	2.0	1.0	6	5	1

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 10 · 2021

W 14–6

at Minnesota

4 SOLO · 4 TOT · 12 YDS

With B. Hayes — 43 AVG · 4 IN 20 · 52 LONG · C. Brown — 147 rush yds (32 car)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 30-22vs Nebraska	3	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 1	L 30-37vs UTSA	1	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	L 14-42@ Virginia	7	4	0.0	0.0	1	1
Wk 3	L 17-20vs Maryland	6	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	L 9-13@ Purdue	6	3	0.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 5	W 24-14vs Charlotte	4	3	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 6	L 0-24vs Wisconsin	9	6	0.0	0.0	1	0	Season-high 9 tackles
Wk 8	W 20-18@ Penn State	2	1	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 9	L 14-20vs Rutgers	5	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	W 14-6@ Minnesota	4	4	0.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 12	L 23-33@ Iowa	6	6	0.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 13	W 47-14vs Northwestern	4	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Total		57	41	1.0	1.0	5	2

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Kerby Joseph

20188 games

202112 games

2022

2021 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference 1st team

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Rover

Players who play like Kerby Joseph