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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One reason the Kansas City Chiefs selected defensive end George Karlaftis in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft was his energy. At Purdue, Karlaftis tended to go full speed on every play whether he was rushing the quarterback or defending the run.
Karlaftis confirmed this habit on the field during the early days of the Chiefs’ offseason practices.
“He goes 100 miles an hour,” coach Andy Reid said after a recent practice session. “Walk-throughs, everything. We had to slow him down.
“He moves around well when he’s in space. He’s got good hands, it looks like … but that motor is probably the thing that jumps out at you. He goes and goes.”
The Chiefs are going to need that energy from Karlaftis, their only significant pass-rush addition, as they attempt to revitalize a unit that fell to 29th in NFL sacks last season. Karlaftis had 29 sacks in 26 career games at Purdue.
“Relentless,” Karlaftis said in explaining his style of play. “I get after the quarterback. I stop the run. I feel like I’m a three‐down player, I’m an all‐around player that can do anything and everything that’s asked of him, so I think I bring that to the table. I feel like I’m very, very consistent. I feel like my best football is ahead of me. … I’ve been only playing football for about six to seven years now, so I’m really excited to develop under a great system, great teammates, great organization.”
Karlaftis got a late start in football because he was born in Greece, where football does not have much presence, and lived there for much of his childhood. He moved with his family to the United States when he was 13 and is still growing within the game.
Once he got started in football, Karlaftis found he was not only good at it, but enjoyed it as well.
“My parents pushed me to do just about every sport imaginable,”…
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Source : espn
