After a couple seasons of offense dominating the cycle, the 2022 NFL Draft could see more top talent on the defensive side of the ball. The edge rusher class looked good in last year’s draft, and there’s a chance it’s even better next spring. Obviously, Kayvon Thibodeaux will dominate the headlines this fall. But, there are others who can hear their names called early next year, including the likes of DeMarvin Leal and Drake Jackson. One of those players is a rusher in the Big Ten, Purdue Boilermakers defensive end George Karlaftis.
Boilermakers DE George Karlaftis is a very good edge rusher in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Karlaftis was a consensus four star recruit out of high school and won numerous awards as a senior, including Indiana Class 3A player of the year and IndyStar’s Mr. Football Defensive Lineman of the year. His senior numbers, according to MaxPreps, included a monstrous 56 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. He earned a trip to the 2019 Army All-American Bowl, where he received the national DPOY honor. In addition to football, Karlaftis was also a back-to-back state champion in the shot put.
Karlaftis enrolled early at Purdue, and put together an excellent freshman season in 2019. His 17 TFLs led the team, and he tied for the lead with 7.5 sacks. Those numbers earned him Second Team All-Big Ten honors. Karlaftis only played in two games in 2020, and it’s not hard to throw out a year that was unlike any other, even though he had two TFLs and two sacks.
Returning to form is what many expect for Karlaftis in 2020, so what is his form and how do his traits stack up against others for the 2022 NFL Draft? Let’s dive in to look at his game.
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.
Limitations Deal With Outside Track
There are still things that Karlaftis can work on as we head to the 2021 season. He gets very aggressive and into “chase mode” against read option plays, leading to some big plays to the perimeter of the field. He has grown to stay more patient at times, but getting more consistent in that area will be important.
Karlaftis doesn’t possesses the flexibility and elite burst and get off to become a true speed rusher on the outside. He won’t win with a lot of bend or flexibility to dip under contact on the outside, and when he tries to get around on the outside, he often drifts too far up the field.
2022 NFL Draft Outlook
George Karlaftis already looks like one of the best edge rushers to potentially be in the 2022 NFL Draft class. His skill set as a technician and a power rusher makes him dangerous on the edge, and he possesses great vision, recognition skills, and closing speed/burst.
His production is something noteworthy as well. Karlaftis is averaging 0.67 sacks per game and 1.35 TFLs per game. While those may not sound like excellent numbers, it isn’t easy to be productive on the edge in an era of quick passing and spread offenses. Those numbers can translate very well to the NFL.
He will get opportunities to prove himself against top tackles in the Big Ten like Daniel Faalele, Thayer Munford, and Nicholas Petit-Frere. Big games there will prove his skill against top competition as well.
If it weren’t for Thibodeaux, more analysts and fans would be talking about Karlaftis. He’s securely on the round one radar for the 2022 NFL Draft right now, and another strong season should only solidify his stock as a top rusher in the class.