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Well, we all know how much the Falcons love to draft guys out of the Dubuque.
Yes, the University of Dubuque in, you guessed it, Dubuque, Iowa, is where our next Falcons workout warrior hails from.
Dubuque CB Michael Joseph will workout at the #Bears local day, and has a #Falcons workout upcoming as well.
— Chase Goodbread (@ChaseGoodbread) April 11, 2018
So, CB Michael Joseph of D-III school Dubuque. What does he bring to the table?
Well, according to NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein, he actually sounds like the perfect project for Atlanta’s secondary.
It’s easy to love Joseph’s combination of size, speed and interceptions, but his transition from Division III to the NFL will likely have its fair share of bumps along the way. Joseph has been able to overwhelm the competition across from him with his length and athletic ability, but he’s light by NFL standards and his man cover skills will need work before he’s ready to handle NFL talent. Joseph has talent to work with, but he may have to learn from the sideline or even the practice squad early on.
With the Falcons fairly set at cornerback for the moment (sans a surprise early pick), Joseph could round out the group at hand, or spend a year in the Falcons’ development program for more down the road. He’d have to play special teams if he was stashed on the 53, but even in that case, would likely be more inactive than not. Zierlein does write of a tantalizing prospect, and as we’ve seen with Robert Alford, you don’t have to come into the league with major college competition under your belt to make a difference.
He’s got a great story with his rise, and we certainly wish him all the best wherever he lands. If it’s with the Falcons, we’ll be seeing firsthand if he can translate his skills to the pro level.
So, will the Falcons be looking at adding the pride of Dubuque here in about two weeks?