Summary

Joshua Josephs (22 years old) is a twitchy, high-motor defensive end who has played his entire college career at Tennessee, developing into a key rotational and situational pass rusher within the Volunteers’ defensive front. In 2025, Josephs recorded 33 total tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, and 4.0 sacks, serving as a disruptive edge presence in sub-packages while earning All-SEC honorable mention recognition. An Agriculture and Natural Resources major, Josephs has been recognized on Tennessee’s academic honor roll and is known within the program for his consistent approach to preparation and development. A former undersized high school prospect who grew into his frame after arriving on campus, Josephs credits his success to refining his technique and hand usage, and Tennessee coaches have pointed to his pass-rush plan and effort level as defining traits. The “Kung Fu Panda” fanatic is widely viewed as an energetic, relentless defender whose burst and closing ability consistently stress offensive tackles, with teammates highlighting his motor and practice intensity as tone-setting qualities. Josephs is the youngest of eight children and is a skilled cook specializing in Jamaican dish that connects him to his family’s heritage. From an injury standpoint, Josephs has been largely durable throughout his career, with no major injuries causing extended absences, aside from minor ankle soreness in 2024 that did not result in missed games.

Strengths

Fox: Times the snap well and immediately threatens the outside hip forcing tackles to react early. Wins the race to the corner when tackles are late or flat-footed.
Noah’s Arc: Great flexibility and ankle flexion and shows the ability to dip and reduce surface area when he’s on time with his rush. More dangerous when he has space to build speed rather than tight alignments.
Early Violence: Active, violent hands early in his reps and flashes swipes and chops that can clear the initial punch. Will occasionally cross face when tackles overset to protect the edge. Traits suggest he can consistently pressure if sequencing develops.
Backside Pursuit: Tracks plays down from behind and constantly shows up when plays break outside his gap.

Weaknesses

Quit Stallin: If he doesn’t win immediately with his first step, the rep tends to stall with limited second-phase rush. Flashes moves, but not always coordinated. Can swipe past contact without actually clearing the blocker.
Conversion Therapy: Struggles consistently converting speed to power. Tackles who sit on his edge rush can absorb him and doesn’t consistently collapse the pocket through contact.
For Verts: Comes off low at times, but stands up high when engaging, reducing his ability to drive or corner tightly. In his effort to win upfield, he’ll occasionally open lanes inside or lose gap integrity.
Run Defense: When tackles get into him square, he can be widened or sealed rather than holding the edge. More effective from wide angles and less impactful when condensed or asked to play through traffic.

Outlook

Josephs projects as an explosive, twitchy edge rusher with a quick first step, active hands, and the flexibility to threaten the edge, giving him upside as a disruptive pass-rush specialist with room to grow into a three-down role. He fits best in attacking defensive schemes that utilize wide alignments and emphasize upfield penetration, allowing him to win with speed and counters rather than consistently anchoring against power in tight fronts. Josephs is trending as a Day 2 prospect with a Round 2–3 projection in the 2026 NFL Draft to a team looking to add juice and rotational pass-rush upside off the edge.

Pro Comparison: Bruce Irvin

Team Fits: MIA, TEN, LV, HOU, NO

Report written by Filip Prus