It has been quite a two year run for former Purdue football standout and current Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis.
After being drafted 30th by the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft, Karlaftis has won a Super Bowl, started all the regular season games as a rookie, finished his rookie season with the second most sacks on the team, hit double digit sacks in his second year and looks to pick up another Super Bowl ring tonight when the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers.
During media availability this week before the Super Bowl, Karlaftis touched on his journey, admitting he was “blessed” to be there.
“I’m just blessed to be here. It is a blessing to be a part of a situation like this and to be able to go to the Super Bowl back to back,” Karlaftis said.
He has drawn plenty of praise from defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who said Karlaftis’ success is the result of the work he has put in.
“He’s had a great year; he really works hard,” Cullen told the media earlier this season. George has really worked hard, and he was relentless.”
Karlaftis admits he was “relentless” every single day, much like he was as a member of the Purdue football team.
“For me, it’s all about being challenged to be great every day and pushing yourself to be great every single day. I wouldn’t have it any other way. We are constantly striving to get better. We are challenged by our coach to constantly get better,” Karlaftis said.
From meeting the Greek Prime Minister to sacking quarterbacks, Karlaftis does it all
After visiting his native Greece during the offseason, where he met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Karlaftis has had a monster season. When he hit double digits in sacks earlier this season, Karlaftis took the accomplishment all in stride, noting there was still a lot of things he needed to improve on.
“I’m a big on – I believe in just reflecting, so I went back and I watched all the tape, every single practice tape, every single game tape and I was like, ‘Alright, I’ve got to do these things better.’ I came up with a plan of how to attack the offseason, and that’s what I did. (Former Chiefs DE) Tamba (Hali) was a great help this offseason, and I’m going to continue to work on myself,” Karlaftis said.
Karlaftis said having played in last year’s Super Bowl gives him and his teammates an advantage coming into tonight’s game.
“Having that experience and having played this game last year gives you an edge. The game is longer, the halftime is longer, the lights are brighter. Not getting too high or too low will be a huge part of the game,” Karlaftis said.
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