Boilermakers Country

Pro Football Focus Ranks George Karlaftis Among Big Ten 2022 NFL Draft Prospects

George Karlaftis is among the top defensive NFL prospects in the Big Ten and the nation. After playing in only three games last season due to injury and COVID-19, the future NFL draft pick looks to make a big leap in 2021.

D.J. Fezler

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After injury and COVID-19 plagued the season for George Karlaftis in 2020, this year may be the last for the junior defensive end at Purdue.

According to a recent list from Pro Football Focus, Karlaftis is among the top 10 NFL prospects in the Big Ten. He slotted in at No. 6 in the rankings, which ranks third among the conference's defensive players.

At the 2021 Big Ten Football Media Days last month, he said transitioning to the professional level is not something he is looking ahead to just yet. Karlaftis is focused on helping the Boilermakers win games this fall. 

Karlaftis is one of the top defensive prospects in the nation for next year's NFL Draft. After a dominant freshman year with the program, he is poised to return for a strong season now that he's back healthy. 

In 2019, Karlaftis started all 12 games for Purdue and finished third on the team with 54 tackles. His 17 tackles for loss were the most for the Boilermakers that year, and his 7.5 sacks tied the team lead. 

At the end of his freshman season, Karlaftis was named a first-team Associated Press Freshman All-American and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. 

PFF Analysis

"He’s quite easily one of the strongest defensive linemen in college football — and that was two years ago. Back in 2019, Karlaftis played a ridiculous 843 snaps and registered 55 total pressures. We didn’t get to see much of a next step in an injury-plagued 2020 in which he played only three games. We could be in store for a big leap this fall."

PFF Top 10 Big Ten NFL Draft Prospects

  1. Garrett Wilson, Ohio State Wide Receiver 
  2. Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa Offensive Lineman 
  3. Chris Olave, Ohio State Wide Receiver 
  4. Brandon Joseph, Northwestern Safety
  5. Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan Defensive End
  6. George Karlaftis, Purdue Defensive End
  7. Jaquan Brisker, Penn State Safety 
  8. Thayer Munford, Ohio State Offensive Lineman 
  9. Rasheed Walker, Penn State Offensive Lineman 
  10. Haskell Garrett, Ohio State Defensive Tackle 

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D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball. 

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