Brandon Joseph Talks Notre Dame Transition, NFL Fit, Draft Process And More
When Notre Dame received a transfer from former Northwestern All-American safety Brandon Joseph, expectations were at an all time high. He brought a reputation as a game changing presence on the back end but the 2022 college season was mostly a letdown.
Joseph is now fully entrenched in the NFL Draft process. He is participating in the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine this week and on Thursday, he was made available to the media. Here is a bulk of the interview from this morning.
Joseph on meetings with teams so far this week:
"I have met with a lot of teams informally. Formally, I just met with the Philadelphia Eagles. (The meeting) was good. We watched some film. They asked me questions. It was good. It's just been kind of preliminary questions and seeing if I can understand simple defensive schemes. The conversations will obviously get more extensive as we meet more."
Joseph on his time with Notre Dame:
"It was exactly what I expected, man. Joining a culture like the one that they have at Notre Dame, a team that wants to win a national championship and to fight for it. It was a tough start to the season early on. We got those two early losses, but we were able to turn the season around and find a way to win a bunch of games and be able to really finish strong. I was able to join a team with a lot of seniors, a lot of veterans, and it's very much like when I get into the NFL. I'm joining a team with a lot of high value players. I'm gonna have to figure out how to enter that culture and be dominant, so I think I was able to do that every day but it really prepared me for entering the NFL."
Joseph on his football IQ:
"I take pride in knowing the defense, understanding the defense thoroughly and then understanding the offense that I'm going against, I take pride in that. I love to be able to do that at the highest level. I'm excited to see how it translates to the NFL."
Joseph on his fit into an NFL defense:
"I think I can be a very first versatile player on defense, whether it's rolling down, whether it's playing deep, being rolled down nickel, possibly a dime in the box back deep. Like I said, I'm excited to see where each team sees me fitting. I think I can do a lot of things."
Joseph on his sports background in high school:
"Yes, back in high school I played basketball early in my freshman sophomore year. Then I ran track throughout my career too."
Joseph on how basketball helps his game:
"For sure, playing basketball was big for me. Like you said, rebounding, catching passes in general, I think that just goes to show my overall athleticism. In basketball, I was a three. So you know, I feel like I could do it all, dribble, I would also get my opportunities to be a shooter."
Joseph on where he has been training:
"I've been training at Exos down to Dallas with Brent Callaway. That's one of the best spots in the country to train. Exos is a very solidified place and so I've just got high expectations for myself to perform the best that I can."
Joseph on dealing with ankle sprain this season:
"It was my first injury that I'd actually had to sit out. I've never missed a game in my career up to that point. So it was the first time I had to go through that experience sitting on the sidelines through practice and games and so I had to get over that mental hump, see how it is to sit out and then eventually come back from it. It's something that I think is going to make me stronger in the long run."
Joseph on whether he regretted his transfer decision:
"No, I loved it. I was deciding if I'm going to declare or not. So when I decided to come back, I wanted to transfer to, like I said, join a culture like Notre Dame to win a national championship and work hard every single day. I think it was great for me. What Marcus Freeman is doing over there, it is going to be great."
Joseph on best teams he played during his college career:
"I played a lot of good teams in the Big Ten. I played teams like Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan. I've seen a lot of good players and receivers that they have over there. Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison that they got over there. And then USC, BYU and Syracuse. I think having that Big Ten experience and then going to a place like Notre Dame, they also have a hard schedule. They create their schedule and make sure they have hard games. So I feel like I played a whole lot of teams in my career."
Joseph on his relationship with Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome:
"That's my best friend. He knows the standard that we played to at that time. He said just never lose sight of the standard. At Northwestern, Greg was starting, studying and being great. Greg was the standard that they have over there. So he said to just never lose sight of what we developed over there. Never lose that mindset. Never lose that grit that you got from Northwestern."
Joseph on Marcus Freeman’s first season:
"Freeman stepped into a big role being a head coach at Notre Dame first year. It's a big responsibility and I think he took it on full force. I'm really proud of the way that he did it. I didn't see what Notre Dame was like since that was my first year there and the way that he impacts everyone and the culture they have over there, I can tell why they made it to the national championship, why they made it to the playoffs, why they have successful years over and over again. So I'm proud of what he's doing. I was honestly honored to be a part of this."
Joseph on Michael Mayer:
"Michael, man, I think he's the best tight end in the country. He is an overall physical presence on the field when it comes to blocking. He's one of the best route runners that I have ever played against."
Joseph on what was attractive about Notre Dame:
"Notre Dame had 18 and 22 returning starters. It was a senior laden team and so for me to really get in their immediate presence and spring ball immediate starter like that, that's the confidence that I needed. That allowed me to become the best player that I could be. The coaches over there pushed me and to make me better. I know that I'm a veteran coming in and still that doesn't matter. They still continuously get better over there. They helped my confidence to know that everyday counted."
Joseph on his ability to play free safety:
"Playing from the middle, I mean, our coverage or the way that we did our safeties at Notre Dame, I was playing both sides, like more left so I could play field or boundary. So it really just depends on formation and calling whether I'm gonna be rolling down a rolling back. Middle of the field is my favorite spot to be in deep and see if teams want to try and go deep."
Joseph on seeing former Northwestern teammates this week:
"It has been sweet. I just ran into the (Andrew) Leota and I haven't seen him in a long time. He was over there at Auburn. It was great to see him, to see Tommy and Cam. I haven't seen Skoronski. I don't know if they even got here yet but I'm super excited. I mean, it shows the talent that Northwestern has, like, we have a lot of people here that started at Northwestern. It is really cool to see."
Joseph shares his scouting report on Isaiah Foskey:
"Isaiah Foskey, he’s a leader out there. He takes care of the defensive line. I got the defensive backs. When you have two people like us and then honestly my linebacker JD Bertrand as well, you know, the defense is always gonna be on the same page."
Joseph on Northwestern defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore:
"He's an athletic freak. You’re going to see his numbers that I already know that they're gonna be insane. I haven't even been training with them and you were able to get a little hint of it at the Senior Bowl, the way that his presence that he'll make on the defense."
Joseph on which Notre Dame wide receiver is going to break out next season:
"Tobias Merriweather, he's going to be a super good receiver for Notre Dame."
Joseph on who he compares Michael Mayer to:
"He's like George Kittle. Like I said earlier how he has a physical presence in the blocking game and his speed and route running is something I haven't guarded before."
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