Joshua Josephs

● Lean, long torso with wide shoulders and exceptional length and wingspan ● Explodes off the edge and has stride speed to capture the corner ● Speed-to-power move tends to be out of control — but effective nonetheless ● Understands how to catch hands of blockers, rework his hips and create rush path ● Energetic; doesn’t shut down his pass rush ● Spark plug vs. the run, with better upper-body strength than expected ● Long arms find the football (six forced fumbles over past two seasons) 361 Back to table of contents -- 365 of 629 -- ● Reserved personality and matured every year (NFL scout: “He went from the guy who fell asleep in meetings to (being on) leadership council as a senior.”) ● Worked hard to boost nutrition and pack on muscle (played freshman year at 220 pounds)

● Played at only 242 pounds as a senior; needs to be closer to 250 ● High cut and has hints of stiffness when attempting tight rush turns ● Underdeveloped core strength — can be pushed around the arc ● Attacks before reading blocks or play design, taking himself away from the ball ● Not a run technician at point of attack ● Missed tackles on every tape, usually because of out-of-control pursuit ● Questionable growth potential — will struggle shedding the “tweener” label ● Didn’t reach double-digit career sacks (despite being a player whose specialty is a speed rush)

A starter for one-and-a-half years at Tennessee, Josephs played the “Leo” edge position (standup and three-point) in defensive coordinator Tim Banks’ scheme (also dropped and manned-up versus tight ends). With his close friend and roommate, James Pearce Jr., off to the NFL, Josephs was expected to have a breakout senior season. Instead, he was kept on a pitch count (33.2 defensive snaps per game) and finished 2025 with just six tackles for loss and four sacks. Josephs boasts explosiveness that jumps off the film. He can outrace blockers to the corner or chase down ball carriers in pursuit, but his pass rush is often disjointed, predictable and absent of nuance. He plays with a violent edge when attacking blocks in the run game, although he isn’t a sturdy point-of-attack player and misses too many tackles while playing hot, despite his rare wingspan. Overall, Josephs is still learning how to be a more complete player, but he is a long-levered defender and has the linear twitch and pop to create disruption in the right role. If he stays committed to his development, he has an NFL floor of a designated pass rusher.