ArrowheadOne “High Expectations” Player Focus – DE George Karlaftis

Karlaftis Breaking Through – Purdue Rivals photo credit

The CHIEFS have earned praise for the 2022 draft. Front and center is GM Brett Veach, which is fair. He will be front and center for anything that goes wrong, so positive vibes are certainly due. The process leading up included stockpiling of picks through various moves. Most notable of them all was trading Tyreek Hill to Miami. That move netted a second 1st round pick. The flexibility made a move up for McDuffie possible, and patience saw the 30th overall materialize. George Karlaftis from Purdue was the guy who got the call. I was clear in my pre and post-draft analysis: I did not see a world where we got him. My clear point now: I am sure as hell glad we did.

Sports Fandom and Athenians

I have made my overall infatuation with sports well known. My fandom extends to sports available for me to view. The real investment comes when I pick teams. My hometown of Hays, KS sits halfway between Denver and KC, and my teams reflect that. God blessed me with wisdom and CHIEFS fandom. The Royals have ignited the biggest flames of sporting frustration as David Glass built the MLB farm team, so I ventured the Rockies way. I credit myself for not saying screw and picking the Yankees or something. Hockey did not exist until 1995 when I was a freshman in high school and the Avs landed in Denver. There is plenty more talk about that coming, haha. I more or less shunned the NBA until I lived across the street from the Pepsi Center in Denver and frequently attended Nuggets games. SKC since day 1.

Living in Milwaukee for almost 15 years has wedged the Bucks and Brewers into my heart as well. This is a gratuitous paragraph or two for the purpose of this point: Greek pro athletes are rare in the US, Giannis is the Greek Freak, so Karlaftis will always be “Greek Freak
in my book. GK is a good short name too. I believe we have a good one in our locker room and intend to aim high for this one.

Let’s Take A Moment to Dream

This column is about GK, and I am going to bring up some associations I have built in my mind. These are lofty, hopeful, and borderline irrational. Irrational is a label I’ve worn. True story: I won 2 of my 3 fantasy football leagues in 2018. Victory foundation came from 4th and 5th round picks of one Patrick Mahomes to be my QB. Both leagues drafted as a group, so I took live heat. The commentary included reaching for the position (4th and 5th is generally too early), being a homer (some truth), and being bad a fantasy sports. My commentary was simple: believe or don’t, and I choose to believe. I expected to draft the 8th-ish best QB, and…dang. The theme as the season progressed shifted from me being psychic to wanting to marry Patrick Mahomes. Many wrong claims have also happened, but my point is I dream.

My dreams around GK build associations: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Hakeem Olajuwon, JJ Watt. Dream big or just wake up. How did I talk myself into this and build the grandeur? Let’s run it down.

Hakeem

Believe it or not, this is where my head went first. The main reason is the timing of the sporting interest. Most stories of star pro athletes start at a young age. Some reporter sticks a mic in mom and dad’s face to learn about a 3-year-old finding the love for the game, and natural talent guiding the way. Not Hakeem and George. Hakeem was born in Nigeria and grew up playing soccer as a goalie. Basketball came into his life at 15. George was born in Greece and did not play football until his family moved to Indiana when he was an 8th grader. This parallel resonates enough with me to compare an NFL rookie to an all-time top 10 NBA player.

Giannis

They are both Greek. What do you want from me? There is more, and it relates to the draft process. The Bucks recently opened a new arena. Chicago’s United Center goes as the “house that Jordan built.” Giannas was a big part of building Fiserv. I had the fortune of behind-the-scenes access to much of the process. The best evening was seeing the suite box renderings and mock setups when ground was first broken. A higher-up with the Bucks told everyone a story about 2 notable press conferences. The first was to a crowded room featuring the guy who would make the Bucks legit. The second was to a small room feature the draft pick considered a reach. The players were Jabari Parker and Giannis respectively. Giannis was featured as a too skinny, too project risk of a pick. The Bucks believed and fate worked out.

GK dropped to 30 at the second most premium position. That is the small press conference in the board room.

Watt

This is the football comparison. Milwaukee is just over an hour from Madison placing me firmly in Badger and Big 10 country. JJ Watt grew up in a nice Milwaukee suburb called Pewaukee, started at Central Michigan, and made his collegiate mark in Madison at Wisconsin (full school name is UW-Madison – FYI). I dug up his NFL draft profile, and it does call him a potential All-Pro. This may be selective memory, but I do not recall massive fanfare around Watt. Every good Badger draws the locals to dream of them in green and gold, but I don’t remember a ton of that around Watt. What I do remember is Texans fans and media questioning the pick. Watt busted into OTA, camp, took it all and all-comers head on, and then earned Watt took the starting spot, and the rest is history.

Greek Freak Metrics

Height – 6’4″

Weight -266 Lbs

Arms – 32 5/8″

Hands – 10 1/4″

For the NFL Analysts Kalfatis scored 640(Good Starter within 2 years)

Bench: 21

Vertical – 38″*

Broad – 141″*

20 yd Shuttle – 4.36

40 yard – 4.71* (Pro Day)

Every overview that you find tells you that he has a completely relentless motor, all game long. His Strength List is paramount:

Already possesses the disposition of a pro lineman. His hands and hips are explosive into the target. Creates lift and extension through contact and uses punch/release technique to open the B-gap. Top Move is to use a long-armed long-arm bull charge but also works from one counter move to the next seamlessly. Leg drive bounces tackle into the pocket. Surprising ankle flexion for quick bend and redirect of the rush edge. His weaknesses are few: not a great playmaker against the run, and his movements appear to be segmented. Misses RBs skipping through the gaps to either side. Slow to twitch when an offensive change of direction is the action and has only average twitchiness.

Karlaftis RAS!

To see who he is the best Power Rusher in the draft, take a look at Sam’s video Study; see the tape, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDOf2LvXLcA&t=2s

Kansas City’s Greek Freak and F#%*ing NFL Frosh

Karlaftis Pick #30, 2022 Draft – Chiefscrowd photo credit

The final product on the field as a member of the starting D is still pending. To this point, GK has proven nothing in an NFL game. However, he has proven he has the chops to be a pro. All of the words surrounding his participation from the OTA’s to the Minicamp revealed his comprehension and building mastery of the playbook. Talent earns a high draft position, but a professional approach earns roles and long careers. JaMarcus Russell’s picture is next to the draft bust in the dictionary. He did not put in the work to be a pro, made $100K per completion, and drove the owners to negotiate for controlled rookie contracts. My favorite anecdote revolves around his watching game film. Coaches did not believe Russell was watching and sent him home with blank tapes as a test, which he failed.

GK has the coaching staff and team peers validating his film study and professional lifestyle. That all pails in comparison to the main rap he has earned: a nonstop motor. I played a few years of high school football. Every year featured a player without fail that grabbed attention. There was always a super intense freshman that came out guns blazing from the drop. August in Kansas is hot. So hot school was released early due to heat. That was irrelevant to the guys going to the second of two-a-days. The last thing upperclassmen wanted was an over-intense freshman running circles around them. The plan was to ease in and the f#%*ing frosh was going off script.

The interesting journey was seeing the coaching staff applaud and all the players coming around were impressed as well. Freshmen shouldn’t set tones, but sometimes it happens. The upperclassmen ultimately see the passion, match, and push for more.

The Good Road Ahead

Teams that navigate this well go on to win State. The coaching staff has applauded GK. Players, most notably Chris Jones, are going on the record to praise him as well. The CHIEFS have ambitions to win another Super Bowl. All of that becomes more likely with a better D. The real path includes a top 10 unit. The edge rush has to improve to even have a shot at defensive unit success. The expectation is a starter for a first-round edge pick. This doesn’t carry a guarantee, and players earn their spots. George Karlaftis has taken his spot as a starting edge, and he has caught the respect of coaches and teammates. The Kansas City CHIEFS cannot ask for more at this point.

Josh Kingsley – ArrowheadOne