With the 230th overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft, the Washington Redskins have selected Josh Harvey-Clemons.
Safety Josh Harvey-Clemons was selected in the seventh round by the Washington Redskins with the 230th selection #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/y3kk0uwqKG
— LouisvilleFootball (@UofLFootball) April 29, 2017
Harvey-Clemons will leave Louisville having played all over the field for Grantham’s defense. He played the star position (a hybrid safety/linebacker position that is becoming increasingly more popular in the college football landscape), and he played it well. Although his numbers dipped in his final season with the Cardinals, in total, Harvey-Clemons will leave Louisville with 3 interceptions, 5 passes broken up, a forced fumble, 3 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, and 149 total tackles.
Harvey-Clemons brings with him someone who embraces being physical and will not shy away from it. Scouts like that he is a sound, fundamental tackler who doesn’t slow down while heading in to make the tackle. His size/frame is also an added benefit for Harvey-Clemons.
One thing that is a red flag to NFL teams is Josh’s prior incidents. He was suspended from Georgia twice for failing a drug test and also was suspended another time for a violation of team rules. This all eventually led to him transfer to Louisville to play under his former defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham.
Outside of the issues in his past, scouts have concerns about some of the angles that he’ll take when attempting to tackle a running back. He’ll need to work on his anticipation to throws when playing back in coverage as a safety. He will also tend to grab when he thinks he has been beaten in coverage.
Best of luck to Josh in the NFL!