Kelvin Joseph Jr (born November 11, 1999) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

in the second round of the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 202 ...

. He played college football at

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

Early years

Joseph grew up in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties ...

, and attended

Scotlandville Magnet High School Scotlandville Magnet High School (SMHS) is a public high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. Scotlandville High is part of the East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools. The school serves the Scotlandville neig ...

. As a junior, he tallied 67 tackles, 3 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns) and 12 pass breakups, while contributing to the team winning the 5A state title. He received All-District, District 4-5A Co-Defensive MVP, All-Metro and Class 5A All-state honors. As a senior, he had 113 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and three interceptions. He was named class 5A All-State and played in the

All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977 to 1990. The game was known as the Hall of Fame Classic from 1977 to 1985. In 1986, the National Football Foundatio ...

. He scored a combined 13 touchdowns, from punts, kickoffs and interception returns over the course of his high school career. He also practiced

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and was a teammate of Javonte Smart. Joseph committed to play college football at

over offers from

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

, Auburn, and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

College career

As a true freshman, he played in 11 games, making 12 tackles and breaking up a pass. He had 4 tackles against the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

. He entered the transfer portal after being suspended from playing in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl for violating team rules, but later withdrew his name and participated in LSU's spring practices. Joseph re-entered the transfer portal in July 2019 and announced that he would be transferring to the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

the following month. Joseph sat out his sophomore year due to NCAA transfer rules. As a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...

sophomore, he started in 9 games and was a part of a defense that had 5 players selected in the

. He recorded 9 starts, 25 tackles, a tackle for loss, one pass breakup and tied for second in the SEC with four interceptions in his only season of playing time with the Wildcats. He opted out of the last game left in the regular season, in order to focus on preparing for the

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Joseph was selected by the

in the second round (44th overall) of the

, after dropping because of character concerns. He signed his four-year rookie contract with Dallas on June 10, 2021. He missed most of the OTAs after contracting

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

. He suffered a groin injury in the last preseason game against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2021, to start the season. He was activated on October 30. He spent most of the season playing on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He played his most defensive snaps in the fifteenth game against the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

. He started the last two games of the season. In the season finale against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, quarterback

Gardner Minshew Gardner Flint Minshew II (born May 16, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He began his college football career at Northwest Mississippi, winning the NJCAA National Footba ...

threw the ball to the sideline, where Joseph anticipated to make a play on the ball, but it bounced off his hands into the air, only to be caught by wide receiver

DeVonta Smith DeVonta Smith ( ; born November 14, 1998) is an American football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he recorded over 1,800 yards with 23 touchdowns as a ...

. He appeared in 10 games, collecting 13 tackles (one for loss), 2 pass breakups and 2

tackles. In 2022, he was expected to compete for a starting role against Anthony Brown, but finished instead as a core

player. He played a lot against the Green Bay Packers, after Brown suffered a concussion and

Jourdan Lewis Jourdan Julian Lewis (born August 31, 1995) is an American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan, where he was named First-team All-American and First-team All ...

was lost to injury in the previous contest. He entered in the third quarter of the twelfth game against the Indianapolis Colts, in place of Brown who suffered a torn Achilles tendon, but Joseph allowed a touchdown catch. In the thirteenth game against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

, he committed a pass interference penalty on his first play and left at halftime because he got sick. He started in the fourteenth game against the Jaguars, but gave up two touchdowns and was benched in favor of

Nahshon Wright Nahshon Wright ( ; born September 23, 1998) is an American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon State Beavers football, Oregon State. Early years Wright attended ...

. After playing 37 defensive snaps in that game, he played just two in the final 3 contests of the season. He fared much better as a gunner on

. In the NFC Divisional playoff round against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, he forced

Ray-Ray McCloud Raymond "Ray-Ray" McCloud III (born October 15, 1996) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson. Early years McCloud att ...

to fumble on a punt return early in the third quarter. He appeared in 16 games, registering 13 defensive tackles, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and 7

tackles (third on the team). In the 2023 preseason, Joseph was worked at the nickel corner and safety positions, behind second-year player

DaRon Bland DaRon Bland ( ; born July 12, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Sacramento State before transferring to Fresno State. Early life and high school ...

Miami Dolphins

On August 29, 2023, the Cowboys traded Joseph to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

in exchange for former first round draft choice

Noah Igbinoghene Noah Igbinoghene ( ; born November 27, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Auburn and was drafted by the Dolphins in the first round of the 2020 NFL ...

. He was released on November 14, 2023.

Seattle Seahawks

On November 26, 2023, the Seattle Seahawks signed Joseph to their practice squad. His contract expired when the teams season ended January 7, 2024.

Kansas City Chiefs

On January 17, 2024, Joseph signed a reserve/future contract with the

. On February 11, 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the

Super Bowl LVIII Super Bowl LVIII is the planned championship game of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2023 NFL season. The game is scheduled to be played on February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. It is the first Super Bowl tha ...

Personal life

Joseph has released rap records under the pseudonym "YKDV Bossman Fat". YKDV stands for "You Know Da Vibe". In April 2022,

Dallas police The Dallas Police Department, established in 1881, is the principal law enforcement agency serving the city of Dallas, Texas. Organization The department is headed by a chief of police who is appointed by the city manager who, in turn, is hir ...

announced that they were seeking to speak with Joseph as a "person of interest" in their investigation of a fatal shooting that had occurred in March. Video footage of an altercation at a nightclub in the city's

Lower Greenville Lower Greenville is a neighborhood in east Dallas, Texas ( USA), west of Lakewood. Specifically, the neighborhood is the area adjacent to Greenville Avenue south of Mercedes Avenue and north of Belmont Avenue. The area south of Belmont Avenue is ...

neighborhood that preceded the murder showed that one of the men involved was wearing a "YKDV" necklace. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News on April 15, an attorney stated that Joseph was not the shooter but was a passenger in the vehicle from which the fatal shots were fired. A day after Joseph met with investigators, two men from his hometown of Baton Rouge were arrested in connection with the incident.

References

External links

Kansas City Chiefs bioLSU Tigers bioKentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Kelvin 1999 births Living people Players of American football from Baton Rouge, Louisiana American football cornerbacks Kentucky Wildcats football players LSU Tigers football players Dallas Cowboys players Miami Dolphins players 21st-century African-American sportspeople Seattle Seahawks players Kansas City Chiefs players