The Stars Aligned For Chiefs' Karlaftis and Gillotte

The Kansas City Chiefs were in need to add to their defense this season, and with defensive end George Karlaftis nearing the end of his rookie contract, followed by a fifth-year option next season, who knows what the state of the defensive end room will look like for the Chiefs in the future?

Keeping that in mind, the Chiefs drafted Ashton Gillotte in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Gillotte has a ton of upside, but what puts him over the edge for the Chiefs is his already established relationship with Karlaftis, as the two have known each other for quite some time now.

Gillotte expressed that he has molded his play style around Karlaftis, as the Chiefs veteran defensive end used to critique certain portions of Gillotte's game, which has ended up helping him in the long run, now that he is a member of the Chiefs roster.

"He was trying to give me a rundown of what I need to know about the city, where to live, all that kind of stuff [including] the playbook. I'm [not] trying to blow his phone up too much, but now he doesn't have any choice. He's stuck with me," Gillotte said in his introductory press conference.

Knowing that Gillotte would be a player in the draft pool, the likelihood of Karlaftis ending up on the same roster as a player he worked with in college seemed highly unlikely.

"There are 32 teams, you never think it'll happen like that, but the stars aligned and it happened," Karlaftis said to the media on Thursday.

Karlaftis knows the skillset and grind that Gillotte possesses, sharing similar tendencies that have been beneficial for Karlaftis thus far in his professional career.

"Effort will never betray you. So definitely that and that sticks out. He's a strong kid. He wants to be good. He's humble, and he's a hard worker. You know, all that is aside from all the great physical attributes he has. I think he'll be a great player in this league," Karlaftis said of Gillotte.

If Gillotte turns into the same type of player that Karlaftis has been for the Chiefs, or even better, the Chiefs' defense should be in good hands. The two will have a ton of time to work with each other now, this time as official teammates.

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