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George Karlaftis

EDGE

Purdue

Strengths 

6'4"

Height

Weight

263

Bench
40-Time
10-Time
20-Time
21
4.78
Vertical
Broad Jump
20-Shuttle
60-Shuttle
3-Cone
Hand
Arm
Wingspan

Final Grade

7.62

Injury History

Games Evaluated

@Iowa (2021), @Notre Dame (2021), @Ohio State (2021), vs. Indiana (2021)

Team Fit

CLE

PHI

NYG

A powerful edge rusher that can maul OTs with his dominate bull rush and rip moves. Plays the game of football with a lot of intensity and toughness, which you want to see out of an edge rusher of his caliber. Will be a complete factor when rushing the passer because of his natural athleticism, explosiveness, and powerful talent. Play strength is at a high level and he can win with straight leverage at the POA. Has fast acting hands that grants him a lot of separation when blocking shedding off a lineman.

Weaknessess

Not a huge force when defending against the run. Struggles at recognizing what a RB may do in space. Needs to make more impactful tackles in the run game. Tackling backs down from behind is not a specialty that he possesses at the moment. Pure production in sack numbers were not evident in 2021 as well.

Big Picture

George Karlaftis is a physical and explosive edge rusher coming out of the University of Purdue that is very similar to former Purdue defender in Ryan Kerrigan. Karlaftis however is a 6’4” 266-pound pass rusher that I see more physicality in his game then Kerrigan had which is saying a lot. This is a defender that can beat OTs with all different types of pass rushing moves. He has a dominate bull rush move that just get OTs completely off-balance and driven back into the QB. Karlaftis is very quick with his hands. He has a great ability at being able to swipe and rip OTs hands down/off him. His pass rushing skills will be super reliable at the next level because of the type of separation he can make quickly at the POA. Karlaftis may not be the most athletic edge rusher in this class, but he was able to move relatively well for a player of his size. More bend and dip in his body when moving around the corner would be a huge assist to his game moving forward. In the run game, being able to improve his skills when recognizing run plays and being able to track them down has to develop at the next level for Karlaftis to be considered an all-around compete player. There is no doubt that Karlaftis is going to be a first-round pick and probably a top 25 player taken in April. There is too much to like about Karlaftis game and I think he will be a great edge rusher if he stays healthy in his career.

Player Comp

Ryan Kerrigan

Athleticism:

7.75

Lateral Agility
Flexibility
Explosiveness
Playing Strength
Balance
7.75
7.75
7.75
8
7.5

Super explosive edge rusher that has above average flexibility and quick lateral movement in his play that allows him to create unique rushes around the corner. Plays with a lot of balance and speed but he will play the game with a tremendous amount of aggressiveness as well. Has a powerful play strength that mixes well with his natural athleticism to be a complete handful when coming off the edge in a 5 technique.

7.9

Pass Rush Ability:

First-Step Quickness
Use of Hands
Leverage
Pass Rush Moves
Finish Ability
7.75
8
8
8.2
7.5

Big Play Ability

Not the fastest first step but was able to have some very impressive jumps off the LOS. knows how to be a force when rushing the passer. Knows how to use his hands to his advantage when rushing the passer. Saw plenty of pass rush moves that included swiping OTs hands down and powerful rip moves to grant him separation in a rush. Has a very nasty bull rush that was consistently effective on film. Not a huge ability to get low in his rushes but tended to win 1 one 1 matchups with complete power coming from his leverage. A more active finishing ability resulting in sacks would help but his pressure rate was pretty high in 2021.

Against The Run:

7.35

In the run game, he was able to set the edge at a decent rate to force the back to run back inside. Being able to adjust to a back in space does need some improvement. Some RBs were able to beat him in space with a quick move. Can stack and shed at a good rate but being able to shoot out and make big time tackles has to happen more often. Does not have an overly wide range and needs to develop his ability of tracking backs down from behind.

Set the Edge
Stack and Shed
Range
Gap Shooting Ability
Tackling
7.25
7.75
7
7.25
7.5

Competitiveness:

7.92

Toughness
Consistency/Motor
Disruption
8
7.75
8

Very tough football player. Can basically see his toughness on film with the way he plays the game. Has a high running motor but being a consistent threat in all phases of the game is where he needs to take that next step when developing at the NFL level. Has the natural talent to be a disrupting pass rusher in the NFL.

Intelligence:

7.42

Was able to line up in a 3-point stance and in a standing OLB stance before breaking off the snap. Can be utilized in a 5 or 4 technique, possibly even a 3-tecchique in certain situations. Can recognize and distinguish between run or pass plays. Needs to recognize and act on the run plays at a faster pace however.

Awareness
Play Recognition
Position Versatility
7.25
7.25
7.75
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