Will George Karlaftis Make the Second-Year Jump the KC Chiefs Need?

George Karlaftis will look for continued improvement over his rookie season when he takes the field in year two with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs' history with first-round pass rushers in the NFL Draft is murky. After Tyson Jackson was selected in the top 10 back in 2009, Dee Ford (2014) was the only first-rounder taken by the team at that position until the 2022 draft. Before Jackson, you’d have to go all the way to Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith as top 10 pass rushers that were drafted by the Chiefs.

All that to say, the Chiefs either haven’t been in a position to take a top-tier pass rusher or they’ve chosen to go in a different direction and instead taken a different position when given that high of a draft pick. They have used first-round picks to trade for veteran pass rushers, but last year was time for the team to make an investment in a young pass rusher.

Enter George Karlaftis, the 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive end from Purdue. He was a projected top 10 pick at times throughout his final collegiate season but by the time the draft rolled around, he was expected to be taken late in the first round. The Chiefs held two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and were able to use one of those picks to move up and snag Trent McDuffie with the 21st overall pick. Kansas City then watched as Karlaftis tumbled all the way down to their next selection at pick No. 30.

It was a perfect scenario for both the Chiefs and Karlaftis. The Chiefs needed a young pass rusher to come in and learn from Frank Clark and other veterans, and Karlaftis was given the opportunity to come in and contribute on a Super Bowl-contending team.

In college, Karlaftis was the victim of double (and sometimes triple) team coverage as he tried to get after quarterbacks in the Big 10. That led to only 4.5 sacks in his final season at Purdue. That could have led to his draft day slide, but the combination of his passion for the sport, incredible motor, intelligence and football IQ gave the Chiefs enough confidence to bring him into the organization.

Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis after being selected as the thirtieth overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest questions going into his rookie year were how much playing time would he get and whether he'd be a starter. Those questions were answered fairly quickly, as he was on the field during the Chiefs' opening drive in Arizona during their Week 1 game against the Cardinals. He was playing about 50% of the snaps as the season began and steadily gained more snaps as the season went along.

It took him a while, but Karlaftis got his first half sack during a Week 5 home game on Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders. Karlaftis actually led all rookies with 17 quarterback pressures after Week 6. He continued getting better as the season went on, finishing the year second among rookies in pressures and also tallying six sacks. He added another sack in the postseason during the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Chiefs typically have a good rotation of players they like to work through on the defensive line, but Karlaftis was a major player in his rookie season. For Karlaftis to make that second-year jump, he will need to continue to grow within the groundwork that was laid in his first year in the league. From the outside looking in, and from comments Karlaftis made throughout this past season, veteran players like Clark, Chris Jones and Carlos Dunlap all had a big influence on his growth and improvement as a player throughout his rookie year. With Clark and Dunlap out of the picture (at least for now), Karlaftis is now one of the veterans in the room.

Seeing a higher percentage of snaps per game and having a full year of competition under his belt should be a good start for Karlaftis and his chances to increase his production numbers in year two. He managed to have a pretty good start to his career, including winning a Super Bowl championship, but he seems like the type of player that won’t be satisfied with a good start to his career and should continue to be hungry heading into year two. That’s what will give Karlaftis an edge and continue to push him to make that second-year jump.

Read More: Does a Frank Clark Return to the Kansas City Chiefs Make Sense?