Big Board ranking: #22
Positional ranking: #4
Overview
Position: EDGE
College: Purdue
Class: Junior
Age: 21
Measurables
Height: 6’3 3/4”
Weight: 266 lbs.
Arm length: 32 5/8″
Hand size: 10 1/4″
Athletic testing
40-yard dash: N/A
Vertical jump: 38.0″
Broad jump: 121.0″
Bench press: 21 reps
3-cone drill: N/A
Short shuttle: 4.36 sec.
Strengths
Strong and well-built. Muscular upper body. Very versatile with experience as five-technique and three-technique. Impressive natural athlete. Phenomenal get-off at his size. Stays low and looks like he has springs in his legs before/at the snap. Keeps a balanced foundation. Plays with tremendous aggression. Hands are very powerful. Excellent play recognition. Great at using his hands and moving his feet to shed blocks. Very strong setting the edge against the run. Good patience as a backside defender. Wraps and throws/spins opponents down as a tackler. Bull rush will push back offensive tackles. Has an effective spin move. Dealt with a decent number of double teams. Dangerous on stunts. Can make an impact by generating pressure without getting to the quarterback. Equal experience on both sides of the formation. Back-to-back high school state champion in shot put.
Weaknesses
Hips are a bit stiff. Bend at the top of rush is just OK. Lack of reactionary quickness/suddenness leads to just missing on some plays. Can struggle to disengage when blockers get to his frame. Would like to see better pursuit away from the play. Average speed to chase down the ball.
NFL comparison
Za’Darius Smith
Conclusion
Overall, Karlaftis is a strong and versatile edge defender with tremendous get-off to create consistent pressure. Even if he never turns into a league-leading sack artist, Karlaftis can be a very impactful defensive lineman.
Sounds like a good addition to a contender