Kentucky’s Kelvin Joseph, aka ‘Bossman Fat,’ drafted 44th overall by Cowboys

Kelvin Joseph’s time at Kentucky was fleeting, but the junior delivered for the Wildcats. Now he’ll try to do the same in the NFL.

The Dallas Cowboys drafted Joseph with the 44th overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, making him the second Wildcat selected following Jamin Davis, who was picked in the first round on Thursday.

Joseph is the 13th second-round selection in Kentucky history. Based on information from Spotrac, a site dedicated to sports salaries, the projected value of Davis’ rookie contract is $7,781,160, which includes a $3,019,026 signing bonus.

He became the second-highest draftee among defensive backs in Kentucky history, behind only Melvin Johnson, who went 43rd overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995. Rodger Bird was a first-round selection by Oakland in the 1966 American Football League draft (the history of which counts in the NFL records), but he was the 63rd overall pick in that draft.

Joseph, a former four-star recruit out of Baton Rouge, La., spent his first season at nearby LSU, where he played in 11 games as a true freshman. He opted to transfer following the 2018 season and landed at UK, where he had to sit out for a season due to the NCAA’s transfer rule.

The wait was worth it. He recorded a team-high four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown against Tennessee in UK’s 34-7 win in Knoxville last season, the Wildcats’ first since 1984. That was the most interceptions by a Kentucky player since 2017, when Mike Edwards (a third-round selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019) also had four picks.

Joseph opted out of the 2020 season and declared for the draft ahead of Kentucky’s final regular-season game last year. He finished his lone season as a Wildcat with nine starts in as many games, recording 25 tackles, one for a loss, and a pass breakup in addition to his interceptions.

As recently as February, Joseph was regarded as a potential first-round selection, but concerns about his overall experience and discipline contributed to his slide in the lead-up to the draft. He tested well at UK’s Pro Day — his 4.34 40-yard dash was the fourth-fastest of all players invited to the NFL Combine — and projects as a potential starter at the next level, per NFL.com’s grading system.

“Joseph has physical dimensions and natural athletic talent that are easy to get excited about, but his lack of experience might be a secondary concern to the lack of maturity that is sometimes shown on the field,” NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his profile of Joseph. “He has the length and strength to re-route and bully the early stages of the release from press and displays a sudden twitch to attack throws if asked to play an off coverage. He has the size and ball skills to create real challenges at the catch point, but lacks the discipline and route recognition to stay consistently connected to routes.”

In a video shared by the NFL’s Twitter account ahead of the draft, Joseph shared that he’s motivated by the death of his brother, Kevonte, who drowned in a pool at age 5.

“That’s the fuel to my fire, every time I step out, I’m doing it for him and doing it for my family,” Joseph said. “I know they’re watching me. Every time I look up there, I see him. It’s just extra motivation because it’s like a missing piece to me, but I know he’s with me. I feel like he’s making all this happen.”

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More than 200 UK players have been drafted into the NFL. Here’s a complete history.