B.C. Lions 'swinging for the fences' with Daniel Joseph pick in CFL Draft

NC State fifth-year senior defensive end Daniel Joseph was selected by the British Columbia (B.C.) Lions with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 CFL Draft on May 4.

The Wolfpack pass rusher will still get to wear the red and white on Saturdays this fall, however. Players from the NCAA selected in the CFL Draft will still be able to return to school, a decision Joseph already made several months ago

The B.C. Lions will retain Joseph's rights if he decides to go to the CFL after the conclusion of the 2021 college football season. He will also have the ability to explore the NFL Draft waters if he chooses.

Because of the uncertainty of Joseph's arrival in the near future, the Lions took a risk by drafting Joseph with such a high pick.

Here is what various members of the B.C. Lions organization as well as CFL experts had to say about Joseph and the pick at No. 4:

"Our first two picks were swinging for the fences, but they’re guys that if they pan out like we want them to, they’ll be blue-chip prospects for this club for years to come.

"Daniel Joseph has an opportunity to go back to school, but those are chances you have to take. You got to be able to have guys of that caliber to make you a better football team so you can compete in the upper echelon of this league."

"Daniel Joseph was very high on our board, he’s a very good football player. He’s going to play one more year at NC State, and we thought it was worth it. If he shows up, he’s going to be a really good player. We’ll wish him the best this season and look forward to seeing him in the future.

"Daniel Joseph led NC State in sacks, and as you know, that’s a pretty big-time school that plays some really tough competition.

"You have to have the talent in this league, but I’m also a big believer in character and guys that have done it. That should be evident in our first two picks. Those are guys that have played a lot of good college football. We’re trying to be big picture."

"The Lions had to look at adding a high-end defensive lineman, even if it’s one they’ll have to wait for, and that is the case with Daniel Joseph. He’s going to use his last year of eligibility at NC State.

"This is a guy whose college career started off slowly. He was originally a Penn State recruit, was there for his first few years, but didn’t see a lot of playing time. He moves on to NC State and ends up leading the team in sacks.

"For me, the thing that jumped out on film was just the way that he constantly runs to the football. The motor is always going. Whether it’s chasing the quarterback in the backfield or chasing plays downfield, he’s always running to the football.

"High-energy, high-motor guy that I think if he’s not in the National Football League, he’ll be a great edge rusher in the CFL."

"Talking to Lions’ co-GM Neil McEvoy, he says, ‘We felt he was the best defensive lineman on the board. We wanted to get better on the D-Line, and this gives us a better opportunity to play a high-caliber defensive lineman in the future.’

"When you look at this guy, he’s a tremendous athlete. He had a fantastic year at NC State, and you run that risk that if he goes back because of the free year of eligibility and has another great year, what happens as far as the NFL is concerned? He’s a little bit older of a project, so by the time he comes out, by that point he’s 25-years-old. Maybe not necessarily the age that the NFL wants to get involved.

"This guy can come in and be a starter. He can come in on the defensive line off the edge and make plays, he can be that guy this team has missed since Brent Johnson last retired.

"And hey, he also played tight end in high school and caught 18 touchdown passes, so you can slide him sometimes and run some gadget plays with him as well."

"I agree with you guys, he can play right now. Looking at his film, what’s the number one thing you want from a pass rusher, a defensive end or anyone coming off of the edge? It’s get-off. It’s get-off, and then turning the corner, and that’s what I’ve seen with Daniel Joseph.

"If he was a vehicle, he’d be hitting the corner on two wheels. You watch this guy turn the corner at his size, a bigger guy, he’s a tighter guy, but he really does turn the corner well and that’s what you want in a defensive end."

Joseph, a former Penn State transfer and the lone senior defensive starter last fall, played a big role in NC State's 8-4 2020 campaign. The 6-3, 265-pound pass-rusher led the Pack and finished the season tied for eighth in the ACC with 6.5 sacks.

Starting in eight of his 11 appearances during his debut season in Raleigh, Joseph produced 37 tackles, 10 for loss and three quarterback hurries.

The graduate transfer led the defensive line in tackles and finished second on the team in tackles for loss behind only redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson, who became the first Pack player to lead the ACC in tackles since Levar Fisher in 2000.

Joseph is the cousin of former BC Lions defensive lineman and 2015 1st Round Draft Pick Ese Mrabure-Ajufo and brother of Faith Ekakitie, a defensive lineman selected 1st overall by Winnipeg in the 2017 CFL Draft.

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