George Karlaftis ‘Earned Respect,’ Named Chiefs’ Most Promising Building Block

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Contrary to the early days of the Patrick Mahomes era, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ defense is now established as one of the better units in the NFL. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive tackle Chris Jones get a good chunk of the credit for that, but key supporting pieces have also helped along the way.

Former first-round pick George Karlaftis is certainly one of them. Slowly but surely, the fourth-year defensive end is building a nice reputation. That process is continuing this summer, as Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton singled him out in his list of each NFL team’s most promising building block.

According to Moton, Karlaftis has “earned respect” stemming from his on-field performance.

George Karlaftis Standing Out as ‘Active Presence’ for Chiefs’ Defense

In just three years with the Chiefs, Karlaftis established a pretty high floor. Moton believes he’s a very sound contributor in all facets of the game.

“After a 10.5-sack campaign in 2023, Karlaftis saw a slight drop-off in sack total with eight in the previous year, but he maintained an active presence in the pass rush, logging a career-high 37 pressures,” Moton wrote on July 5. “Karlaftis isn’t generating the same amount of buzz as fellow 2022 first-rounders Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson in terms of extension talks. That said, he’s taken some attention away from Jones as an effective three-down defender who can get to the quarterback and stop runs behind the line of scrimmage.”

The data backs up Moton’s assessment of Karlaftis’ production. The Purdue product has 24.5 sacks in 49 career regular-season games, after all. He also has 56 quarterback hits and 15 passes broken up to complement that. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s posted a pass rush grade of 66.3 or higher in consecutive seasons.

Last postseason was a prime example of Karlaftis at his best. In three games, he amassed four sacks and four tackles for loss. Both were league-leading figures. Per PFF, his 67.4 pass rush grade ranked 17th out of 47 defensive ends with 20 or more snaps. His tackle grade of 79 led the field.

Chiefs Can Take Financial Step to Back Outlet’s Building Block Claim

At this point, it’s common knowledge that Karlaftis is a good teammate both on and off the field. He’s undoubtedly a positive contributor in Kansas City’s current dynasty. How long that remains the case, though, remains a question. If Karlaftis is the Chiefs’ most promising building block, one would think he’d get signed to a long-term contract.

With training camp approaching, that isn’t the case yet. The Chiefs previously picked up Karlaftis’ fifth-year option, which projects to see him make just under $15.2 million in 2026-27. On a per-year basis, that salary would rank 14th among current defensive end deals. The fully-guaranteed money is a nice placeholder for both sides, but failing to eventually agree to a multiyear pact may have serious repercussions.

In reality, Karlaftis probably isn’t the Chiefs’ best building block. Cornerback Trent McDuffie, who also had his option utilized, deserves that tag. The former finds himself in an interesting position entering his age-24 season. He’s a solid-to-good player, not an elite one. But given his durability, consistency, attitude and overall floor, where does his true value lie on the open market?

That’s up for Kansas City to ultimately decide on. If not them, it’ll be another team around the league banking on Karlaftis to keep delivering the goods on defense.

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