Karl Joseph And West Virginia Prepared To Make History On First Day Of The NFL Draft

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Football:

Joseph, WVU prepared to make history on first day of NFL Draft | The Daily Athenaeum
The West Virginia University football team has an opportunity to make school history this weekend as five Mountaineers are projected to be selected in the 2016 NFL Draft in Chicago.

Karl Joseph among the NFL draft's most physical prospects | ESPN
The NFL draft is almost here, and in his preview piece Todd McShay included West Virginia safety Karl Joseph as one of the hardest hitters available.

Joseph could be modern-day Jack Tatum | Exponent Telegram
It started, this journey that comes to fruition tonight or Friday when Karl Joseph hears his name called either in the first or second round of the National Football League draft, with his first tackle at West Virginia. You may not remember it. He does.

Karl Joseph is likely to land in round one | ProFootballTalk
Most of the talk about defensive prospects entering the NFL with knee injuries has focused on the potentially sagging stock of UCLA linebacker Myles Jack and Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith.

West Virginia safety Karl Joseph might be NFL Draft's top player, Mike Mayock says | Sporting News
Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Ezekiel Elliott: those are the common names associated with "best player" in the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft. But NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock shed some light on another player from the draft he believes will become a star: West Virginia safety Karl Joseph.

Even at 5-foot-9 (and 1/2), might Joseph stretch into the first round? | WV MetroNews
Of the 24 safeties drafted in the top three rounds since 2012, only one has been as short as Karl Joseph.

Long road leads WVU’s Dillon to NFL Draft doorstep | Charleston Gazette-Mail
The NFL draft begins Thursday night in Chicago, a three-day, seven-round event that features only the first round on opening night. West Virginia defensive back K.J. Dillon will not be watching.

Ultimate pre-draft Q&A with Mountaineers punter Nick O’Toole | WV MetroNews
The special-teams icon phones in from SoCal for a revealing chat about NFL jersey numbers, Uber and which presidential candidate Dana Holgorsen most resembles.

NFL Draft Big Boost to WVU Football Recruiting | WVU Athletics
The five West Virginia University football players likely to go in this year’s NFL Draft are not the only ones eagerly anticipating this year’s extravaganza, which begins Thursday night at 8 p.m. in Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre on ESPN and the NFL Network. Mountaineer defensive coordinator Tony Gibson will be paying close attention as well.

WVU becoming better at producing pros | Exponent Telegram
A lot of people have built up some strong feelings about Dana Holgorsen during the five years he’s been at the helm of the West Virginia football program. Several of the criticisms are warranted, and even necessary questions that must be answered when you look at the future of where the Mountaineers are heading in the future.

Special Dana Holgorsen Show to Air Saturday | WVU Athletics
As part of West Virginia University Athletics' partnership with IMG College, a special edition of The Dana Holgorsen Show will air on West Virginia Media stations on Saturday, April 30, at 9 a.m., featuring the Gold-Blue Spring Game held on April 23 at The Greenbrier Sports Performance Center.

Benton emerges into leader on defense | The Daily Athenaeum
From one talented group to the next, West Virginia junior Al-Rasheed Benton is already making his mark on and off the field.

Simms showed his ability at spring game | Exponent Telegram
Due to a pair of external factors, West Virginia freshman wide receiver Marcus Simms wasn’t visible to the media until the final open session of the 2016 spring season, but it took only that one viewing to show what the Mountaineer coaching staff had been seeing for several weeks.

Baseball:

Five-Run Seventh Helps WVU Sweep Marshall | WVU Athletics
The West Virginia University baseball team swept the season series vs. Marshall with a 9-8 victory on Wednesday afternoon at Monongalia County Ballpark.

Mountaineers take another close call from Marshall | WV MetroNews
Jackson Cramer knocked in four runs, Kyle Davis smacked a three-run homer and West Virginia held off a late charge to beat Marshall 9-8 on Wednesday night.

West Virginia holds on late to secure season sweep of rival Marshall | The Daily Athenaeum
When in-state rival Marshall is on the schedule, West Virginia head baseball coach Randy Mazey has come to expect wild ones.

WVU holds on to beat Marshall | Exponent Telegram
It was a bizarro world at Monongalia County Ballpark as West Virginia hung on to beat Marshall, 9-8, in a game that was as weird as it was exciting.

Around The Big XII:

Kansas State's Bill Snyder, nearing 77, still going strong | ESPN
As he enters his 25th season at Kansas State, Bill Snyder continues to defy the expectations of his nearly 77 years of age.

Texas H-back Andrew Beck working to elevate his game | Burnt Orange Nation
The former high school linebacker needs to impress quickly this fall or he could lose playing time.

Around The NCAA:

One thing to know about each player likely to be a 2016 NFL Draft first-rounder | SBNation
t's time for college football to give away its beloved and minimally compensated children. As we say goodbye to them, let's also let NFL folks know about the new guys who are on the way.

The 2016 NFL Draft doesn't have a QB worth trading up for | SBNation
Trading up to No. 1, No. 2 or No. 10 doesn't turn a decent NFL prospect into an excellent one.

Which college football program is the NFL Draft's real Bust U? | SBNation
Let's look at every first-rounder from 1990 onward to see whose top players pan out least and most frequently.

What the NFL Draft and college football recruiting tell us about each other | SBNation
SB Nation National Recruiting Analyst Bud Elliott is back with another episode of the College Football Recruiting Podcast to discuss the NFL Draft, its impact on recruiting and what recruiting rankings can predict about the draft.

The only thing standing between Robert Nkemdiche and NFL success? His family | SBNation
Robert Nkemdiche's brothers have always been an outsized part of his football career, and that has plenty of NFL front offices concerned about the impact that relationship might have on the likely first-round pick's pro career.

Idaho might not be alone in going FCS, but don't think of it as the start of a trend | SBNation
If these two schools drop down to FCS, it'll have more to do with conference instability and unfavorable geography than with any bigger issues.

Mountaineers Get $65 Million (and Counting) in NFL Free Agency | EerSports
A handful of former West Virginia stars saw their contracts expire this offseason, but the vast majority of them - all but Ryan Mundy and Ellis Lankster, at the moment - have signed new deals for big bucks. Here's a look at all of them.

Jets' Geno Smith starting? 'Would be exciting' if he got chance, says Eric Decker | NJ.com
If the Jets don't re-sign free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, might Geno Smith get another shot at starting in 2016? Wide receiver Eric Decker believes Smith is prepared for the opportunity.

@RAIDERS y'all go ahead and snatch my boy Karl Joseph up with the 14th pick. #WVU

— Bruce Irvin (@BIrvin_WVU11) April 27, 2016

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