PFF excited about this Dallas Cowboys cornerback in 2022

The Dallas Cowboys and PFF (Pro Football Focus) often go together like ketchup on ice cream. The players they say are among the NFL’s elite (the offensive line) are the ones Cowboys Nation blames most. The players PFF says stink (Trevon Diggs) Cowboys fans value and adore gratuitously.

But not all of what that little film/analytics company out of Cincinnati says about the Dallas Cowboys is wrong. Many of their observations hold value both in the NFL and in Cowboys Nation. So when they get excited about a young player on the rise, it’s worth taking notice. Even if you are a bitter Cowboys fan.

The Dallas Cowboys second-year cornerback, Kelvin Joseph, is one of 15 players PFF highlighted as a player one verge of breakout

The CB dominating most conversations on the Cowboys is usually Trevon Diggs. The NFL’s interception leader proved to be the league’s most elite ball hawk last season when he corralled a shocking 11 INTs. But PFF’s grading system was less than impressed, giving Diggs a 65 coverage grade enroute to a No. 80 overall ranking.

It was actually Anthony Brown, a player Dallas Cowboys fans are relentlessly critical of, who scored the highest score in Dallas at CB – An outcome that only added to the criticism from Cowboys Nation.

In PFF’s list of 15 second year players primed for breakout, PFF singled out Kelvin Joseph as the player to watch. Joseph, last year’s second round pick, was one of two CBs brought in last offseason to plug their giant hole on the boundary.

Targeting Patrick Surtain II or Jaycee Horn in the first round, Dallas was forced to adapt when the two options were picked before they went on the clock. Kelvin Joseph became the backup plan.

Joseph is a tremendously talented cornerback with an opportunity to start in 2022, so it’s understandable places like PFF picked him to breakout. As they pointed out, he only allowed 271 yards receiving when he manned the starting spot at Kentucky. That’s all season, folks.

As we highlighted last season in his rookie film breakdown (below), Joseph has lockdown ability with a great sense of awareness. He has ball hawk traits and can matchup on a variety of receivers. Joseph is uber-raw and at age 21, he’s abnormally young for a second year player.

There’s also the big legal situation hanging over his head from a few months ago. As we discussed in the article at the bottom, even if he escapes criminal charges (which it appears he has) does not mean he’ll escape punishment from the NFL. I fully expect him to be handed a suspension at some point in camp.

But if he can put in some good work in training camp and the suspension is fairly short, there’s no reason not to think KJ won’t be a breakout player this year. Whoever starts opposite Diggs is going to see targets so the opportunities will certainly be there.

Kelvin Joseph is someone to be excited about Cowboys fans.