2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: George Karlaftis

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George Karlaftis, 6-4/275 Defensive End Purdue

George Karlaftis Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Dangerous edge pass-rusher

Good get-off

Excellent motor

Gives a second effort

Active hands

Strength to shed blocks in the pass rush

Impressive arm-over move

Has a burst to close

Uses hands and feet at same time

Tackles struggle to sustain blocks

Can move inside in the sub package

Pad level

Quickness

Instinctive

Disruptive

Can chase down running backs down from the backside

Natural feel for a quarterback hunter

Good vision to adjust to the quarterback

Ready to play immediately

Weaknesses:

Needs to show more strength as a run defender

Struggles versus downhill runs coming straight at him

Can get covered up somewhat in the ground game

Needs to get stronger to hold his gap

Summary: In 2019, Karlaftis was one of the best defensive ends in the Big Ten and among the best freshman players in the nation, regardless of position. He was all over the field for the Boilermakers, racking up 54 tackles, 17 tackle for a loss, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one interception and recovered two fumbles. In 2020, Karlaftis only played in three games because of injury and COVID-19. He still recorded two sacks and four tackles for his year. In 2021, Karlaftis saw extra attention from offenses, but the junior still played well enough to totaled 36 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two passes broken up and two forced fumbles.

Karlaftis presence immediately jumps out on Purdue tape because he is always around the ball. He displays an excellent motor and gives relentless effort. Karlaftis makes a second effort in the pass rush, flows to the ball in the ground game, and will hustle downfield to get in on tackles in the secondary after completions. He has the look of a pure football player.

Against the pass, Karlaftis shows some natural ability in terms of putting heat on the quarterback. With active hands and some functional strength, Karlaftis does a nice job of shedding blocks to get free to the signal-caller. Karlaftis displays an impressive arm-over move that he uses to disengage offensive tackles, and once he gets loose Karlaftis has a burst to close. The active hands are able to be used in accordance with his feet, and that skill makes it difficult for offensive tackles to sustain blocks on Karlaftis. Karlaftis also has the size, functional strength, and athleticism to slide to the inside and rush as a tackle in the sub package. To get the better of pro offensive tackles, Karlaftis should continuing to add to and refine his pass-rushing moves.



Karlaftis is an odd and interesting prospect in that while he has strength to shed blocks as a pass rusher, that doesn’t translate to the ground game. It was peculiar to some NFL sources, but Karlaftis needs to get stronger for the next level becauuse he can get moved around and pushed out of his gap. Karlaftis makes an effort to flow to the ball, but holding his ground against bigger offensive tackles is going to be an issue. His run defense has room for improvement.

For the 2022 NFL Draft, Karlaftis looks like a first-round pick. He could easily end up as a top-20 selection.



Player Comparison: Trey Hendrickson. Karlaftis reminds me of Hendrickson as a pass rusher. Hendrickson (6-4, 270) and Karlaftis are almost identical in size, and run-defense issues caused Hendrickson to slide to the third round before the Saints wisely drafted him. In the NFL, I could see Karlaftis being a defensive end similar to Hendrickson.

2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Adam Anderson, OLB, Georgia Calvin Austin, WR, Memphis Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri Amaré Barno, OLB, Virginia Tech Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson David Bell, WR, Purdue Nik Bonitto, OLB, Oklahoma Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas Zachary Carter, DE, Florida Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin Lewis Cine, S, Georgia Damone Clark, LB, LSU Micheal Clemons, DE, Texas A&M Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati James Cook, RB, Georgia Yusuf Corker, S, Kentucky Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State Nick Cross, S, Maryland Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, CB, Cincinnati Luke Goedeke, G, Central Michigan Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State Logan Hall, DE, Houston Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame Christian Harris, LB, Alabama Daxton Hill, S, Michigan Chasen Hines, G, LSU Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan Ed Ingram, G, LSU Drake Jackson, DE, USC Jermaine Johnson, DE, Florida State Zion Johnson, G, Boston College Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah Drake London, WR, USC Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State Boye Mafe, DE, Minnesota Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington Verone McKinley, S, Oregon John Metchie, WR, Alabama Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming David Ojabo, DE, Michigan Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State Cade Otton, TE, Washington Evan Neal, OT, Alabama Josh Paschal, DE, Kentucky Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa Nick Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State George Pickens, WR, Georgia Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State Jamaree Salyer, G, Georgia Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M Derek Stingley, CB, LSU Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor Kenneth Walker, RB, Michigan State Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State Quay Walker, LB, Georgia Travon Walker, DE, Georgia Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State Zamir White, RB, Georgia Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama Malik Willis, QB, Liberty Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M

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