Karl Joseph is the best player on what we believe will be a very good West Virginia defense. K.J. Dillon plays the most important position on that defense. Dravon Henry, it has been argued, exhibited the most improvement on that side of the ball in the 13 days of preseason camp.

Each is a starting safety for the Mountaineers, and everything they have to do as part of the interchangeable responsibilities on the front line and back end of the defense is critical. Not Rose-Barber critical, of course, but certainly vital as it relates to how WVU plays the run, pressures the passer, defends the pass, wins on third down and succeeds in the red zone.

If something were to happen back there, WVU is in a pickle. Joseph and Dillon are — man, I don’t want to say irreplaceable, but I feel like the Mountaineers could lose a starter on the line, at linebacker or at cornerback and feel a heck of a lot better than if they were to lose one of those two. They’re that good. And as for Henry, free safety is such a free-wheeling feel-for-it position that you’d like to have one guy out there as often as possible.

WVU isn’t loaded at safety, either. We’re going to see more bodies and, presumably, more contributions from the defensive line. The worst kept secret in town is how deep and talented the Mountaineers are at linebacker. It’s not quite the same at safety … but at the same time, WVU likes its two backup safeties (as opposed to two of its backup safeties) as much as it likes any other backups at any other position.

What defensive coordinator Tony Gibson and safeties coach Joe DeForest lack in quantity (at the moment, because they think redshirt freshman DaeJuan Funderburk is going to be a real player and true freshman Kevin Williams is good enough to play this season) they make up for in quality in juniors Jeremy Tyler and Jarrod Harper.

“Jarrod Harper and Jeremy Tyler could go into the game at any point,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. “First quarter, second play, third quarter, game on the line, I trust those guys can do the right stuff. Right now, they’re all five starters.”

See, that depth chart only has room for three starters. Harper and Tyler could start or play much more at so many other schools, but their roles in their junior seasons are the byproducts of being on a defense that’s so savvy and in a secondary that could be one of the best in the Big 12 and perhaps even beyond.

It’s a luxury in college football to have a backup at every position, but it’s more rare to have a pair like Harper and Tyler.

“If we have five [safeties] going in,” safeties coach Joe DeForest said, “I’d be comfortable with that.”

That’s because of what Harper and Tyler can do, and, again, what the depth chart does not show.

Harper is a program player, a redshirt junior who’s been through the winters, springs and summers, who’s sat in the meeting rooms with the other safeties and learned about a position that wasn’t his. He just can’t get on the field because Joseph has missed maybe 20 snaps his entire career. Tyler is nevertheless the backup there. For the second straight season, he’ll start on the kickoff, punt, kickoff return and punt returns teams. A year from now, he starts at Bandit.

Tyler is the backup free safety, a job he’s had since Askew-Henry showed up last year. He’s good enough to play on all the special teams, but is starting on “just” kickoff, kickoff return and punt return. Where he starts a year from now isn’t as clear, though it’s clear he’ll be the guy somewhere.