Prospect Profile: Karl Joseph

Safety | West Virginia | Senior Height: 5 feet, 10 inches | Weight: 205 pounds College stats 2015: Joseph stormed at the start, recording five interceptions in his first four games of the season but suffered a knee injury during a non-contact drill that sidelined him the rest of the way. He added 20 tackles (15 solo), 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and one pass defended. Career: made a splash immediately, starting as a freshman and leading West Virginia in solo (76) and total tackles (104) in earning the team’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2012; was named to the All-Big 12 First Team by coaches and ESPN.com in 2014 after being named Honorable Mention in his first two years; totaled nine interceptions, 284 tackles (209 solo), 16.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and 14 passes defended and a school-record eight forced fumbles in 42 games playedCombine results Joseph was unable to participate in on-field timing and testing drills because of his injury. Profile Summary: Joseph followed his senior season of high school in which he had 126 tackles (97 solo), 3.0 sacks, four blocked punts and two blocked field goals by ranking 14th in NCAA FBS with 76 solo tackles and adding two interceptions and six passes defended as a freshman starter. Joseph continued to provide impactful play the following two seasons, becoming known as a heavy hitter with a nose for the football. He had the second-most fumble recoveries (four) nationally in 2013. Joseph served as a team captain in 2014 and played 947 of the team’s 1,053 defensive snaps and totaled 92 tackles. In writing a bio of Joseph for NFL.com, Lance Zierlein dubbed the safety as a “Wolf looking for his next meal as a hitter,” and credited Joseph’s coverage abilities, ball skills and run defense. Stacking up: NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock, who compared Joseph to Seattle safety Earl Thomas while covering the combine, ranks Joseph as the second-best safety in the draft. Mayock had Joseph atop his list before the combine, but slid Jalen Ramsey from cornerback to the top safety spot after the combine and moved Joseph down a spot. NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks rated Joseph as the fourth-best safety before the combine, and Daniel Jeremiah has Joseph rated 36th overall in his list of top 50 prospects. Soccer and swagger: Joseph is a Haitian-American who starred in Florida preps and was twice-named Defensive Player of the Year by the Orlando Sentinel. Although he did not participate in the on-field drills at the combine, he did speak to Hall of Famer Deion Sanders on the Lucas Oil Field turf. Joseph told Sanders that playing his “first sport” of soccer helped his football footwork. “I’m Haitian, so I play soccer and have good feet,” Joseph told Sanders. “I get into arguments with [other prospects] Vernon [Hargreaves III] and Kendall [Fuller] because we train at the same spot and I told them I have the best feet out here.” Joseph added an extra dose of swagger, looking Sanders in the eye and saying, “I’m the best safety out here. I think I’m the best football player in this draft, honestly.”

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Prospect Profile: Karl Joseph

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