The Detroit Lions had a successful NFL Draft, landing a pair of impact players on both sides of the ball with their first two picks in Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams. There's no doubt that the Lions made themselves a better team on draft night.

But which rookie will fly under the radar in the 2022 NFL season? Hutchinson and Williams will play major roles, as will second round pick Josh Pascal. Those rookies won't be sneaking up on anyone as a sleeper in 2022.

However, this Lions draft pick will surprise some pundits with how quickly he adjusts to the NFL game.

Lions Rookie Sleeper For 2022 NFL Season 

The Lions rookie sleeper for the 2022 NFL season is safety Kerby Joseph. Taken in the third round out of Illinois, Joseph was viewed as an underrated draft prospect by some pundits, thanks to his impressive instincts and ability in run support.

Joseph spent his first three college seasons in a rotation at the safety spot, cracking the starting lineup as a senior and taking off from there. In 12 games played for the Fighting Illini, the 6-foot, 200-pound Joseph tallied 57 tackles and five interceptions against Big-Ten competition, earning a spot on the All-Big Ten first team.

The Illinois product is not without his weaknesses, as he isn't the fastest player- 4.62 40-yard dash- and he will have to improve his tackling technique in college.

Joseph impressed the Illinois coaching staff enough for them to frequently trust him with single-high duties at the safety spot. He often covered a ton of ground, running sideline to sideline to tackle opposing halfbacks on running downs.

That impressive level of trust should give him a chance to contribute for the Lions from day one. Tim Twentyman of Lions.com reports that Joseph “could immediately push DeShon Elliot for a starting safety spot.”

Elliot recorded a decent 65.6 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2021, but projects as more of a depth option for Detroit. It's not out of the question to think that Joseph could be starting opposite Tracy Walker III in Week 1 for the Lions.

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Detroit's defense allowed the fifth-most rushing yards per game last year, so the back end of the defense could certainly benefit from Joseph's capable run support.

Not only that, but a unit that forced just 19 takeaways in 2021 could use some added punch in the secondary. The Illinois product could provide just that in the 2022 NFL season.

Don't be surprised if Joseph makes a big impact for the Lions in the 2022 NFL season.