During the pre-draft process Chiefs rookie defensive end George Karlaftis lost 10 to 15 pounds. He also worked on increasing his speed and mobility while adding strength.
Last week at mandatory minicamp, Karlaftis showed off those skills and could have easily had a sack on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But since there’s no hitting during camp — and there’s especially no hitting Mahomes — Karlaftis slowed up.
“I will never come close in practice to (hitting) Patrick Mahomes,” Karlaftis said with a smile, while at the same time reassuring Chiefs fans. “I’ll never come close to him.”
Letting up on the throttle is a little unusual for Karlaftis. During the team’s rookie camp in May, coach Andy Reid told defensive line coach Joe Cullen to relay the message that Karlaftis needed to tone it down a bit. But at the same time, Karlaftis’ intensity is something his teammates appreciate.
“He’s a high-energy guy,” said Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones. “He’s willing to learn, always looking for ways to get better. I haven’t been around him long. But from the looks of it, he has a motor. A really, really good motor. Hard worker.”
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Karlaftis was selected by the Chiefs 30th overall in this year’s draft. Last season at Purdue, Karlaftis had 54 quarterback pressures in 12 games. Now he’s playing next to Jones, a three-time Pro Bowler.
“He’s one of the best players in the league,” Karlaftis said of Jones. “He has a presence on the field and off the field. He has an aura, and I’m just trying to learn from him. Playing next to him is so great because he does so many great things on the field, and you can work off of him.”
Karlaftis is also learning quickly from going against the Chiefs offense.
“Those guys are so great on offense,” Karlaftis said. “And facing the best competition at practice is going to bring the best out of you. So I think it’s going to benefit the whole defense.”
The Chiefs concluded mandatory minicamp Thursday and will rev things back up at training camp next month. Until then, Karlaftis said he will continue to train and work on becoming the best pro he can be.
“That’s part of practice,” Karlaftis said. “As a D-lineman I’m trying to find a plan in what I do. I like my power approach and doing things off of that, too. I think I’ve grown a lot and there’s a lot of different things I can do on the field. So I’m just mixing and molding myself into the pass rusher I want to be.”