Tag: George Karlaftis NFL Draft

Cardinals bolster their pass rush in Bucky Brooks’ latest mock draft

NFL Analyst Bucky Brooks has the Cardinals selecting George Karlaftis with the 23rd overall pick in his final mock draft of the year.

With the NFL draft just two days away, we’re going to take a look at what all of the top mock drafts have the Arizona Cardinals doing in the first round. At this point, no one’s guess is going to get any better and the mocks a few days out are typically the most accurate.

With that in mind, we start with the latest projections from NFL Media’s Bucky Brooks. In this scenario, many of the top prospects coveted by the Cardinals are selected far before pick No. 23. Wide receiver Jameson Williams is taken by the Vikings. Drake London goes to the Jets at pick No. 10 and Chris Olave lands in Philadelphia at 15.

Even the likes of defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt and receiver Treylon Burks are long gone before the Cardinals make their selection. With the 23rd pick, they opt to select Purdue edge rusher George Karlaftis.

The high-motor pass rusher could fill the void created by Chandler Jones’ departure. 

Karlaftis is a polarizing prospect, but certainly plays a position of need following the departure of Chandler Jones to the Raiders. Some view Karlaftis to be a future star, while others would avoid him completely in the first round. His sack numbers aren’t amazing but has elite strength and bull rush abilities at the next level.

General manager Steve Keim was asked about Karlaftis during his predraft press conference a few days ago.

“Karlaftis is a guy who maybe doesn’t have bells and whistles in terms of bend and end rush abilities, but you know what you’re getting,” he said. “You know you are getting a man that is grown and he absolutely loves the game.”

Keim’s comments certainly aren’t bullish on the Purdue product, but Karlaftis is a real option for the Cardinals at 23.

Nicknamed ‘The Greek Freak’ by Purdue fans, Karlaftis tallied 14 sacks and 29 tackles for loss in 26 career games. Many project him to be a very good pass rusher at the next level.

With the draft nearly upon us, George Karlaftis is certainly a name to watch for the Cardinals.

[vertical-gallery id=467417]

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Cardinals NFL draft player preview: Purdue EDGE George Karlaftis

George Karlaftis, a projected first round pick, recently had a Top-30 visit with the Cardinals. Can he be the successor to franchise icon Chandler Jones?

We are a little over two weeks away from the highly anticipated 2022 NFL draft. As we get closer, some official top-30 visits become known to the general public. For the Cardinals, one of those visits is Purdue’s George Karlaftis, whom they hosted for a visit last week.

The Cardinals currently have yet to make any major moves in free agency. They brought back two of their own in Zach Ertz and James Conner, but have left huge holes at both the edge rusher and wide receiver position. While most of the draft hype for the Cardinals has involved the receiver position, perhaps they are looking at finding Chandler Jones’ replacement.

Karlaftis is a projected first-round edge rusher who has seen his draft stock increase over the past few weeks. While he only had 4.5 sacks last season, he was a consistent threat in opposing backfields. Nicknamed ‘The Greek Freak’, Karlaftis was named to the second-team All-Big Ten in 2020, despite only appearing in three games. In his rookie season, he totaled 7.5 sacks.

Karlaftis is at his best with power and bull rush moves that force offensive tackles back into their quarterback. One of his biggest critiques is trying too many speed moves on the edge, particularly for a guy his size. These critics don’t believe, at his speed, that those moves will translate in the NFL.

Despite the critics, Karlaftis excelled on the field when he played. In 26 games, he had 29 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. He’s been one of the more polarizing prospects in this draft. Some love him while the others wouldn’t spend a first-round selection on him.

There is certainly a question as to the team’s ability to groom a first-round defensive player. Their last two selections, Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins, hardly saw playing time in their rookie seasons. It was extraordinarily frustrating, particularly given the reserve players that often played over two first-round picks. Is the front office really going to do the same again?

Karlaftis would have competition from Devon Kennard and Dennis Gardeck, which would bode well for his playing time on paper. However, the past two seasons have proven nothing in terms of developing young defensive talent.

What are your thoughts on drafting George Karlaftis with the 23rd overall pick?

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and