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Karlaftis

Karlaftis (6'4"/275) was a very steady producer in the full two years he played, where he racked up 93 total tackles, with an incredible 27 of those coming for a loss. Comparatively, his 12 sacks is solid but not spectacular which is giving some teams pause, but Karlaftis also defended six passes and forced three fumbles, perhaps showing some versatility. Karlaftis had 18 formal meetings with various teams including the Cardinals, who are reportedly one of his most likely destinations at pick 23. That would contradict an earlier report by Albert Breer that Karlaftis might not go in the first round as he had not heard much buzz about him. Karlaftis is an intriguing, prospect. He seems rather safe, but there might be questions about his overall ceiling. He’s a good athlete, but not outstanding, and his sacks numbers weren’t incredible, although his overall tackles for loss were quite good but he’s also been a beast since his true freshman season. There’s a lot to like about him, and more than a few reasons to be hesitant as well, which is why his predicted spot is all over the place.

Karlaftis (6'4/275) is a unique prospect. There are some that perceive him as a top-15 selection and others as a fringe first-round pick. Breer doesn’t believe that he will be selected in the first round. He reported that he hasn’t heard many, if any NFL people speak about Karlaftis being a first-round pick dating back to the fall. Watching his stock on Thursday is going to be fascinating to watch.

Karlaftis (6'4/275) is a versatile edge rusher that would be surprising to see fall out of the first round by any stretch. Karlaftis made the cut in the latest PFF big board, which had Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross making up its top-three prospects. It will be interesting to see if Karlaftis jumps any of those players when the draft starts in exactly one week.

The Cardinals lost Chandler Jones this offseason and need help with their pass rush. Adding a player of Karlaftis’ (6'4/275) skillset and diversity would serve the Cardinals well. Able to play both standing up and with his hand in the dirt, Karlaftis would be fun to watch next to JJ Watt.

On the surface, comping a player to one that played at the same school is one that feels lazy, but the parallels are really interesting. Karlaftis (6'4/275), like Kerrigan, is a scheme versatile player that projects to thrive standing up. They both have the ability to both set the edge and bend around it to rush the passer. Karlaftis currently projects as a mid-late first-round selection and, if he has the career that Kerrigan has had, it will be a nice addition for whoever picks him.

It would be hard to argue against it. He brings a physical presence and uses all 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds of his body to power through the offensive lineman. It’s not just his brute strength that makes him great, he has the technical skills of an edge rusher with his hand and footwork to create the best opportunities to bring pressure. This is why he’s projected to go behind Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux early in this draft.

Renner’s ranking of fellow defensive linemen included both defensive tackles and EDGE rushers. Renner ranked Karlaftis (6'4/266) behind Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux. It’s surprising to see Karlaftis ranked ahead of three Georgia defensive linemen who all had elite Combines, but Renner praises Karlaftis for his “iron man” style of play. Karlaftis played on 49+ snaps in all but one game last season and had a pass-rush grade of 90.6 on PFF.com.

Karlaftis (6'4"/275) is one of the top pass-rushing prospects in the draft and he has been mocked in the first round by most outlets. He’s immensely talented and was a beast in college, racking up 27 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in his two full years at Purdue. It’s interesting that he has so far chosen not to work out. With his draft stock already quite high, it’s possible Karlaftis sees no benefit in working out at the combine, as he is unlikely to pass names like Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux even with a stellar workout, and could very easily drop if he posts subpar numbers. The decision isn’t final yet, and it doesn’t seem to be injury related, so things are still up in the air.

As the NFL punditry turns the page from the Super Bowl to NFL Draft season, more mocks are starting to crop up with Karlaftis and Ojabo in the top half of the first round. In fact, if you include Travon Walker at 14 overall, USA Today mocks 5 edges in the first 14 picks. Karlaftis is a 275-pound warrior who has strong, quick hands and a powerful bull rush, while Ojabo is lightning fast around the edge at 250-pounds and is still very raw after picking the game up as a junior in high school. The 2022 edge class is shaping up to be one of the best position groups in this year’s draft.

The Sporting New sees the Jets nabbing Karlaftis (6'4/275) with their second, first-round selection after taking Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton with the fourth overall selection. Such a 1-2 defensive combo would certainly help fortify Robert Saleh’s secondary while also giving them a havoc creating pass rusher like Karlaftis to give them a much needed edge presence. The powerful defensive end is a monstrous edge setter and has been sliding up and down the first round board in the offseason, all the way from the top-10 to 30th overall in NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein’s recent mock. How he tests at the NFL Scouting Combine will go a long way towards determining where Karlaftis will ultimately settle.