As we approach draft day, it’s very interesting to try and predict where West Virginia safety Karl Joseph will land. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts aren’t the only teams interested in him, but they’re the ones most likely to select him.
Joseph would have been a guaranteed first round pick if it wasn’t for a knee injury that made him miss most of his senior season. He had five interceptions after only four weeks last year. He was a first-team All-Big 12 in 2014, and played every game for the Mountaineers in his freshman and sophomore years. He was going to be a meaningful part of WVU’s team from the first moment he played for them.
Joseph isn’t a big player for the position, but he seems to be made of the stuff that defensive leaders are made of. He reads plays very well, he tackles powerfully, he has excellent ball hawking skills and covers receivers very well too. He can play close to the line or deep downfield, and the big question about him is how he’ll recover from the ACL injury.
Joseph isn’t perfect. He might be a bit smaller than what some teams are looking for and can have problems when forced to change directions in the middle of the play. But there’s been nothing but good words about him coming out of Morgantown, and if he’s 100% following the injury, he might be the most complete safety in this draft class.
Where does he go? Probably in the second day, and could very well be starting at safety in his first season, with the potential of holding down the spot for many years down the road.