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The toughest matchups in George Karlaftis’ rookie season

By Lucas Strozinsky

Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis after being selected as the thirtieth overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis after being selected as the thirtieth overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 9, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) huddles up with offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) against the Carolina Panthers prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) huddles up with offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) against the Carolina Panthers prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Tristan Wirfs/Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Starting off with perhaps the Chiefs’ most difficult game of the season is the duo of right tackle Tristan Wirfs and future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. Brady is notoriously difficult to sack, mainly because Brady doesn’t waste a lot of time on dropbacks. In 2021, Brady ranked 2nd in the entire NFL on Average Time to Throw (w/ a pass attempt) at 2.29 seconds, per Pro Football Focus ($). Also per PFF, he ranked third in the NFL on Average Time to Throw on dropbacks with a sack at 3.00 seconds. What this means is that in order to sack Tom Brady, a pass rusher will most likely have to beat his blocker clean since Brady does not waste time in the pocket and is not afraid to throw the ball away. But in a sense, Brady is not necessarily difficult to sack as long as Karlaftis can be Tristan Wirfs clean. But that is easier said than done.

Tristan Wirfs is one of the better right tackles in all of football. According to PFF ($), Wirfs was the highest-graded right tackle and 6th highest graded tackle overall last season at 84.3. If George Karlaftis is matched up against Wirfs when the Chiefs visit Tampa Bay in Week 4, he may have his “Welcome to the NFL” moment.

In conclusion, being matched up against either Wirfs or Brady would be difficult but going up against both simultaneously is really tough challenge for a 21-year-old rookie.

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