Johnathan Joseph

He was ranked the 31st-best JUCO player in the nation by College Football News and earned all-conference honors.

Joseph recorded three interceptions, one for a touchdown, and 43 tackles.

He also recorded a sack and two pass break-ups.

Johnathan Lee Joseph (born April 16, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL).

Joseph began his college football career at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas in 2003.

Joseph transferred to the University of South Carolina, where he played for South Carolina Gamecocks football team in 2004 and 2005.

He started at cornerback his first two games of the 2004 season, recording two tackles in his first game against Vanderbilt and forcing a fumble.

Joseph broke his foot in the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs, and spent the remainder of the year rehabilitating his injury.

Joseph was scheduled to have a big season in 2005, along with teammate and fellow defensive back Ko Simpson.

He earned the Outstanding Defensive Back Award in spring practice and recorded two tackles and a broken up pass in the Garnet and Black Game.

Joseph finished the season with 55 tackles, four interceptions, and nine broken up passes.

A year before the NFL Draft, Joseph was not regarded as a highly touted prospect and wasn't on any big boards since he was still an underclassman and only had played two games at South Carolina.

He began to improve his stock after playing well in 2005.

Joseph was invited to the NFL Combine and after running a 4.31 40-yard dash, his draft stock immediately soared.

Scouts and analysts projected him as a first or second-round pick.

Joseph was ranked the third-best cornerback by NFLDraftScout.com.

He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Joseph also played for the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals.

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Joseph in the first round (24th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft.

On July 31, 2006, the Bengals signed Joseph to a five-year, $8.10 million contract with $4.82 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.09 million.

He entered training camp competing with veteran Tory James and Deltha O'Neal for a starting cornerback position.

Joseph was named the third cornerback on the depth chart behind O'Neal and James to begin the season and was named the nickelback.

Joseph earned the start over O'Neal in the season-opener against the Kansas City Chiefs and finished with three solo tackles in a 23–10 victory.

On November 12, 2006, Joseph started his third game and made five solo tackles in a 31–16 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

He started in place of Deltha O'Neal who suffered a shoulder injury the previous week and would miss the following three games.

Joseph remained the starter the rest of the season.

During a Week 13 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, he recorded seven combined tackles and a season-high four pass deflections in a 13–7 victory.

On December 31, 2006, Joseph made a season-high ten combined tackles and two pass deflections in a 23–17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Joseph finished his rookie season with 58 combined tackles (45 solo) and 20 pass break-ups in 16 games and nine starts.

With the departure of Tory James in free agency and Deltha O'Neal receiving shoulder surgery in the off-season, Joseph was slated to be the Bengals' starting cornerback.

He faced competition for his starting position after the Bengals drafted cornerback Leon Hall with the 18th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Joseph was named the starting right cornerback, opposite Deltha O'Neal, to begin the season.

Hall and O'Neal were the starters for the season-opener against the Baltimore Ravens, but Joseph made two combined tackles in the 27–20 victory.

The following week, he made his first start of the season and recorded three solo tackles in a 51–45 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

On October 21, 2007, Joseph made five combined tackles and intercepted Chad Pennington for the first pick of his career.

He returned it for a 42-yard touchdown and helped defeat New York Jets by a score of 38–31.

On November 25, 2007, he recorded five combined tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted Vince Young as the Bengals routed the Titans 35–6.

The next game, Joseph made a season-high seven solo tackles and intercepted Ben Roethlisberger's pass during a 24–10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In Week 16, he made a season-high tying seven combined tackles and intercepted Cleveland Browns' quarterback Derek Anderson in a 19–14 victory.

He was the third cornerback selected in the first round (15th Tye Hill, 19th Antonio Cromartie).