JoshuaJosephs

Josephs is an undersized but muscular edge rusher who can turn his intensity up to 11 to chase down the quarterback. A two-year starter for the Volunteers, he racked up seven sacks, 54 pressures, 39 stops, four pass deflections, and six forced fumbles over the past two years. He put together his best season in 2025, grabbing five sacks while notching a 34.8 percent win rate in true pass rush situations, according to PFF, which ranked 12th among all edge players with 100-plus rushes. Josephs brings an explosive first step to surprise opposing tackles and covers ground quickly to immediately stress the edge. He employs a bounding rush style that leaves offensive tackles reeling as he clubs away at their hands and Euro-steps past them into the pocket. He has absolute vines for arms and knows how to use his length to control the rush and keep opposing tackles from locking in on him. He is a strong finisher when he gets a step; he reaches around and through offensive linemen to swat at the ball, grab a shoulder pad, or otherwise affect the play. Josephs has an extremely forceful push-pull move and flashes the ability to convert speed to power on his bull rush, at times absolutely trucking linemen and pushing them into their quarterback. Josephs shows the fluidity and athleticism to flip his hips and drop back into coverage. He plays hard against the run and likes to mix it up against blockers. He will take on or slip past slice blocks and shows the ability to spin inside and throw his weight around in short-yardage situations. He has a big tackle radius. 

Josephs needs to build a more consistent attack plan and add to his repertoire of rush moves. At times, he looks a little upright and stiff when changing directions. He needs a gather step to loop back around to chase the quarterback. He’s explosive, but against the run, he lacks stopping power, and he may need to bulk up in the pros. He slips off tackles and fails to get low enough to hold his ground. There are times when his aggressiveness works against him against the run, and he’ll overrun the play and end up out of position.