2016 NFL Draft: Broncos will have a pre-draft visit with West Virginia Safety Karl Joseph

According to the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson, the Denver Broncos are among the teams that will have former West Virginia safety Karl Joseph in for a pre-draft visit.

West Virginia DB Karl Joseph visits Cowboys, Vikings, Broncos, Bengals, Steelers, Giants, Texans, Colts, among several others

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 12, 2016

Joseph is a 5'10", 205lb safety from West Virginia and is expected to be a late first or early second round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The Broncos are currently lacking depth at the safety position. They lost longtime safety/special teams ace David Bruton Jr. to the Washington Redskins during free agency, and their other backup safety Omar Bolden signed with the Chicago Bears. Also, 2015 backup safeties Josh Bush and Shiloh Keo both remain unsigned at the moment. So it makes sense that the Broncos are showing interest in the draft's top safeties.

Also, keep in mind that starting free safety Darian Stewart will be a free agent at the end of the 2016 season, and could be in for a big pay day if he repeats his 2015 play this season. So the Broncos could be looking towards the draft for a potential replacement for Stewart.

There is a lot to like with Joseph. He was a team leader in West Virginia and is an aggressive and fierce competitor on the field. He is a playmaker and a ballhawk. He played in four games in 2015 and came away with 5 interceptions and 1 touchdown during that span. Quarterbacks only had a 57.6 quarterback rating when challenging Joseph in 2015.

He just isn't a ballhawk, he will also lower his shoulder and lay some big hits on the ball carrier, and take on much bigger blockers.

Joseph is a complete safety who has very few flaws to his game. Pro Football Focus agrees with this statement and compares Joseph to former San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle.

Player comparison: Eric Weddle, Baltimore Ravens: Like Weddle, Joseph should be able to excel in all areas of thegame playing safety. Also like Weddle, the one area he would not be fully at home would be the Earl Thomas-type role of a deep-lying, single-high free safety. Joseph has the ability to become an integral part of an NFL defense

If that comparison is true, Joseph is in for a long and successful NFL career.

Now there are some concerns about Joseph. He is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered four games into his 2015 season. This means he may not be completely 100% during his rookie year and will need to be medically cleared as well.

Also, while he is an aggressive safety, he is a smaller safety who does not have the desired thickness and size to back up that type of play. So he may injury concerns down the road because of his physical play.

If the Broncos stay put at pick 31, Joseph should be in play for them. He is the top safety in this year's class(unless you consider Jalen Ramsey a safety) and would fit a need for the Broncos.