Franz Joseph ILB Florida Atlantic

[Water Boy]

YouTube - Frantz Joseph - Draft Video Profile

Draftguys.com are real high on this guy. He seems like a worthwile midround prospect for a 3-4 ILB. He definitely meets the Patriot player profile.

 

[condon84]

I don't know who the competition was on that video, but he did do the things that our ILBs are called upon to do. I liked the way he attacked his blockers and staggered them back. And also him moving back down to FLorida to be close to his ailing mother shows good character.

 

[Liverpool_Patriot]

Does anybody know if he had a role on special teams?

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Does anybody know if he had a role on special teams?

No mention of it on his team bio.

 

[Afterlifemobile-86]

Here's some stats and background info. His 2008 stats have not been posted yet I'm sure there out there somewhere but he did face some top tier offenses as we always have a brutal out of conference schedule. His pro-day wasn't great but there were about 20 teams in attendance with scouts, the Patriots were NOT among them so take it for what it's worth. As I've said before he was our entire defense and we are going to miss him down here in Boca. I think he'll be a solid contributor wherever he ends up.


Player Bio: Frantz Joseph :: Football

 

[mcsully]

I'm in a mock draft going over at Jetsinsider.com and he was picked in the 5th round by the GM of the Pats.. I never heard of him but did some reading and video watching it he seems like a kid with a good head on his shoulders that can play the ILB..

 

[Mike the Brit]

My favourite player in the draft. Played well in the Texas vs the Nation game, seems to have an excellent attitude (and has a great, great name).

 

[jmt57]

Some more info on him here:
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/13/212906-frantz-joseph-clips.html

 

[CanadianPat'sFan]

This kid looks pretty good, in the first clip from the link at the top of the tread, I thought he was good but played too slow was my only concern but as a SILB that is not so much of an issue. In those clips you could see his desire to get to the ball carrier and play through traffic. He show good explosion while working inside against the run with good hip thrust on his contact with the OLine. He looks to have pretty long arms to gain separation from the OL to make the play on the RB between B gaps very well.

Somehow he looks very stiff when he is in pass coverage or going backwards at some points but if you look at the clips from the Motor City Bowl it kinda tells a different story. He looks more fluid and comfortable roaming the middle and making plays in the red zone which is when it counts most.

Here is some analysis from nfldraftscout.com:

TOP LINEBACKERS: Frantz Joseph, Florida Atlantic, 6-1, 242: An intense, physical three-year starter who made 154 tackles (84 solo) in 2008 when he earned first-team all-Sun Belt honors for the second consecutive year. He had 131 tackles in 2007. His 13 tackles in the 2008 Motor City Bowl against Central Michigan demanded attention from scouts. Joseph red shirted at Boston College in 2004, then transferred home to help his mother with finances. At his Feb. 26 pro day, Joseph had a best time of 4.83 seconds in the 40. - Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange, NFLDraftScout.com

Something tells me with that many tackles he must have played some special teams along the way but I am just speculating.


Florida Atlantic Pro Day: 16 teams represented by 19 scouts were present to see Frantz Joseph...Bears, Dolphins, Colts, Jaguars, Rams, Browns, Titans, Packers, Panthers, Raiders, Chiefs, Giants, Eagles, 49ers, Falcons, Saints (Numbers to be posted later). Word is Charles Pierre did great in weights. He had a decent 40 time but tweaked his hamstring and didn’t run the second 40. And, yes, all eyes were on the man in black, Frantz Joseph. Joseph had a smile on his face the entire time. Said he didn’t care what his time was. “Just put a running back in front of me and let me go,” he said. DE Robert St. Claire looked fast in the 40, but couldn’t do other drills requiring side-to-side mobility due to his knee injury. The O-line was well-represented by Nick Paris. - Ted Hutton, Sun-Sentinel.com

You gotta love the kid who says " Just put a running back in front of me and let me go"
I got to do some more homework on this kid but he is worth looking at in the 5th as of right now for me and may move up with more research

 

[Water Boy]

Frantz Joseph vs Jasper Brinkley

Anyone have any opinions on who would be a better fit for the Pats?

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Frantz Joseph vs Jasper Brinkley

Anyone have any opinions on who would be a better fit for the Pats?

Just say "no," but if you had to take one, Brinkley is more athletic, Joseph is more decisive and instinctive.

 

[SigmundBloom]

Thanks for linking to our video of Joseph - It's hard to not root for the guy. The footage is from the Texas VS the Nation all star game practices.

 

[Ungeheuer]

Yeah, I really like this kid, too. Plus he sounds level-headed and mature.

The only thing I wonder about is his size. Something tells me the guy they want playing next to Mayo inside would ideally be bigger. Joseph looks good taking on guards in those videos, but he needs to do that over and over in the NFL and I wonder if they might think he's too small for that. I imagine the Pats passed on David Harris for the same reason.

But I like him. Between him and Brinkley, that's a tough call. Brinkley is more the physical ideal, but it looks like Joseph is more well-rounded. I'd be happy with either of them, but somehow Joseph seems like the safer pick. Brinkley might have more upside, however. Gun to the head, I'll go with Joseph.

 

[StraightCashHomey81]

I like them both, but i like Joseph a lot more because he comes without the injury risk and questionable instincts that Brinkley does (Brinkley's upside is tempting though). I know this is a stretch and a little hyperbole, but Joseph looks a lot like Patrick Willis did at Ole Miss to me, both in his college highlights and the DraftGuysTV video. I'd pick him gladly at 58, but I think he'll be there at 89 and 97 anyway. He'd be taking a lot of Bruschi's 1st and
2nd down reps by week 6.

 

[Ungeheuer]

I don't think Joseph goes before the fourth round. At the highest, you'd probably take him with that second third-rounder.

 

[KDPPatsfan85]

Frantz Joseph, he is ranked 173 overall and is projected to go in the late 5th early 6th. Better value and seems to have the mentality to understand the 3-4 defense. Hes a Beast!!

 

[mgcolby]

Joseph has Kevin Smith syndrome: "Because he plays in an inferior conference he must not be as good as he looks". Kevin Smith was the best back in college football in 2007 and yet he goes in the 3rd round to the Lions.

I'm not saying Joseph is the best LB in college football, but he surely has better than late round talent. I remember seeing some early draft projections and they had him as a 6th or 7th round pick, I was shocked. I thought he would be a 2nd or 3rd round pick and I still think his talent warrants that. Only time will tell but this kid is awesome and should be one hell of an NFL LB.

 

[captain stone]

Not worthy of consideration until at least our 4th-rounder, and even that would depend on who else has fallen to us.

 

[patchick]

Joseph has Kevin Smith syndrome: "Because he plays in an inferior conference he must not be as good as he looks". Kevin Smith was the best back in college football in 2007 and yet he goes in the 3rd round to the Lions.

I'm not saying Joseph is the best LB in college football, but he surely has better than late round talent.

I hear you, but I think the real killer is his lack of measurables. A small-conference player can get past the stigma if he backs up his production with NFL-caliber athletic numbers. But Joseph's pro day showing did nothing whatsoever to inspire confidence:

6010 242 4.83/2.75/1.62 19 27 1/2" 09'08" 4.37 7.34

A good BCS-conference comparison might be Scott McKillop: super smart, super productive, the heart and soul of his defense, but undersized and not an elite athlete. Like Joseph, he's expected to go in rounds 4-6.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I like them both, but i like Joseph a lot more because he comes without the injury risk and questionable instincts that Brinkley does (Brinkley's upside is tempting though). I know this is a stretch and a little hyperbole, but Joseph looks a lot like Patrick Willis did at Ole Miss to me, both in his college highlights and the DraftGuysTV video. I'd pick him gladly at 58, but I think he'll be there at 89 and 97 anyway. He'd be taking a lot of Bruschi's 1st and
2nd down reps by week 6.

LOL. He's not even close to Patrick Willis. Come on. He doesn't have the athleticism and sideline to sideline range that Willis does. He did display some nice ability to shed blocks in that clip though. When I look at Joseph I'd say his upside would be a Ted Johnson type, a 2 down run stuffer. But he might be good enough at that role to be worth a look somewhere on the 2nd day.