George Karlaftis Film Breakdown: Taking the Next Step in all the Right Ways

Karlaftis has shown great development in his sophomore season, what happens if it continues?

The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2022 NFL Season during what many anticipated being a mini-rebuild or a reset year for the franchise. They were one of the youngest overall teams in the NFL, the youngest defense in the NFL, and had a ton of new parts all trying to gel together at the same time. Then they went out and won the Super Bowl which left them incredibly lofty goals for the 2023 NFL season.

For this season, the Chiefs' brought in some free agent additions to help fill some holes but there was a significant reliance on young players taking a big step forward. On the offensive side of the ball, some of that development hasn’t quite happened at the rate they likely expected and it’s led to some struggles. On the defensive side of the ball however, it’s been the polar opposite.

There’s been at on of talk about how the Chiefs defense has improved this season and why. From an improved pass rush, to the linebacker position playing better, or even the development of second year player Trent McDuffie. There are countless reasons but there is another second year defense player who’s been making significant strides and has become a key cog on the defense.

That guy is the other 2022 Chiefs’ first round draft pick George Karlaftis. Karlaftis had a quality 2022 season for the Chiefs but he wasn’t super high on the list of players expected to take a massive jump simply because of a perceived “lower ceiling” at a position usually dominated by athletes. It appears that Karlaftis may have taken that a bit personally and not only has taken a noticeable step forward but has become a key part of the defenses success this year.

George Karlaftis Big Step

In 2022, Karlaftis finished the season with 6 sacks and 21 pressures, which was a high quality season for a rookie defensive end. Through 8 games in 2023, Karlaftis has matched that sack total with 6 and has already racked up 19 pressures. Even more impressive than the raw stats is how the pass rush wins appear to be happening quicker than the past season.