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I think we're comparing apples to oranges here, and some are hyper focused on one specific attribute instead of looking at the player as a whole.
Is Karlaftis as 'bendy' as Derrick Thomas? Well, of course not. Hardly anyone is.
Comparing what is a big, strong, bull rusher type DE to speed rushers is apples to oranges.
You may PREFER the speed rushers, and you probably wished we'd drafted one of those, and that's totally a legit opinion.
but discounting what the kid IS because he's not what you WANTED is not fair.
This kid is 21. He's got room to physically grow, he's got loads of talent, and will continue to refine. He's got the WANT TO.
People want to knock the athleticism, and he had a damned 9.28 RAS score. I mean what the ****?
His arms are too short, but they're longer than Hutchinson's. Did anyone complain about Hutchinsons' arm length?
He's going to be more of a big, stout, bull rush type guy. He's not going to blow past tackles and bend out around them.
yeah, most of your record setting type DE's do that. Lots of your consistent, pain the ass DE's are of a different sort-THIS sort.
He's got heavy hands, he's strong as an ox, and he's going to shove OT's right into the QB's lap. There's plenty of video of him doing exactly that. He's going to line up right next to Chris Jones. Who you gonna double?
He's a different type of edge than say, an Ebiketie, or what have you. He's not a Derrick Thomas type. He's not a glorified OLB/rushbacker. He's a DEFENSIVE END. He's not going to bend out around and try to beat OT's on an arc. He's going to punch them in the mouth and go through them.
If you're expecting this kid to put up 15 sacks a year, yeah, you're probably going to be disappointed. That rare air is usually reserved for the speed demon rushers. He ain't that guy. But you're not getting that guy at 30.
But there's plenty of room for a 6-8 sack guys, that's relentless, that stuff the run, that shove OT's back and into the QB's face. He's THAT kind of DE.
Look at how much better KC got when Ingram showed up. Now, Ingram didn't pile up a lot of stats; but he got a lot of hurries and a lot of speeding the QB's clock up because of his bull rush. And that's all Ingram does, really-it's a straight up bull rush. Punch that OT under the shoulder pads and drive him backward.
Now imagine Ingram at 20 pounds heavier, ten years younger, and even stronger. THAT'S Karlaftis.
And at #30, that's a great pick.
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