No one’s going to argue with the statement Karl Joseph is an indispensable part of West Virginia’s ought-to-be-pretty-good defense in the fall. The guy just hasn’t come off the field much the past three seasons, and you get the feeling that wouldn’t be the case if he wasn’t so darned indispensable.

But is he the most indispensable player? ESPN.com would argue yes.

Not only is Joseph a key leader on one of the Big 12’s most experienced returning defenses, his absence would leave a void that would be tough to replace. No player on the Mountaineers roster — or quite possibly the entire Big 12 — brings Joseph’s combination of starting experience, explosive hitting and desire to the table.

True, all of it. But are we to agree or no? What if he missed a half or a game or games? I happen to think WVU really likes Jarrod Harper, and he’s played a fair share for someone in Joseph’s shadow through the years. I don’t know that Jeremy Tyler, who pushed Dravon Henry as much as was possible in the spring, would be able to make the move, but he’s played more defense than Harper, and he has the full faith of the staff.

The point is: There are options.

I don’t know that that’s true everywhere else on the defense. What happens if Kyle Rose is out? Who gets any semblance of pass rush if Noble Nwachukwu has to miss time? Do you really trust the depth at corner of Daryl Worley or Terrell Chestnut can’t go? I think that’s interesting to consider.

And then there’s this: ESPN’s exercise is supposed to figure out who’s the must-have, can’t-lose player on the entire roster. It’s a tough assignment, and Joseph is a worthy call, but given the workload, doesn’t Josh Lambert merit consideration? Imagine the chain reaction if Adam Pankey is hurt. Ditto Tyler Orlosky. And what of the quarterback position?

I suppose there are two ways to look at this, and it’s no different here (in June) than it is at so many other places: WVU is either fortunate to have so many important pieces who are hard to replace … or WVU doesn’t have all the answers a team needs to possess in order to navigate a season and all it offers.