The latest mock draft of the spring is out from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., and as usual, because he’s the godfather of the mock draft, his latest entry has us talking. Specifically, when it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, Kiper has the Chiefs addressing a major need in the first round at No, 30 overall with the selection of George Karlaftis.
The idea of taking a first-round pass rusher is nothing new for the Chiefs but Karlaftis is a relatively new name even though the Purdue product is considered an early-round talent. Most mocks to this point have Karlaftis going earlier than the Chiefs will select, so it’s nice to see that his range might be dropping to give K.C. someone new to consider.
Karlaftis was a freshman sensation at Purdue when he racked up 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss in his first season in the Big Ten. Injuries and more attention from opposing linemen limited him in subsequent years, but the talent and the motor will keep him productive at the next level. Even then, he still managed to post 10 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries last year for the Boilermakers.
Mel Kiper Jr. has released his latest mock draft and he has George Karlaftis going to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 30 overall.
He’s already pro-ready as a pass rusher with the right build and technique, but scouts push back against his run-stopping ability. However, he’s so young (not yet 21-years-old) that there’s plenty of development ahead for him in the NFL.
As for the Chiefs, Karlaftis would be an ideal pick-up given the extent of both short-term and long-term needs at defensive end. The Chiefs were able to bring back Frank Clark for another season on a restructured deal but he cannot carry the load outside for the Chiefs at this stage due to lingering injuries that seem to always interrupt any consistent production.
Besides Clark, the position looks even direr for the Chiefs given the uncertainty surrounding everyone else. Mike Danna is a known rotational help but a Super Bowl contender cannot count on him to anchor one side, especially with the line so thin on the edges. Joshua Kaindoh, Malik Herring, Austin Edwards, and Jonathan Woodard are all around but there’s not a single proven player among the lot.
Expect the Chiefs to grab another veteran at some point and at least one player in the draft to round out the line heading into the 2022 season.