2022 NFL Draft: Purdue DE George Karlafits a great pass rusher

Karlaftis is a strong, technical rusher

For Karlaftis, his strengths really start at the point of contact on the edge. Karlaftis is very good at softening (or trimming) the edge using his hands. He can shed blockers with ease, and is especially good at removing the outside arm of tackles and ripping through contact on the outside to generate pressure. Karlaftis has a very good long arm move as well to push the pocket, and can also win with a speed to power rush on the edge.

Vision and processing are two other traits that show up quickly when watching Karlaftis. If tackles ever over set too wide or too far vertically, Karlaftis takes advantage by quickly changing direction and winning with an inside move. Against the run, Karlaftis has great vision and does a good job getting position outside to turn running backs back towards the teeth of the defense. Karlaftis does well against the outside run as well, keeping his eyes on the runner while moving laterally while engaged.

Another area that Karlaftis excels is with his closing speed and backside pursuit. He’s great at chasing down plays from behind, and the acceleration and burst to finish a sack or a tackle in the backfield once he clears contact and has an open lane is very good.

Karlaftis also provides some versatility as a rusher. While he normally lines up on the outside, he has gotten snaps over the guard and can create pressure with his quickness and hand technique on the interior as well.