Originally Posted by Megatron96
There's probably a lot of truth to this. If we're absolutely honest, Karlaftis is not physically special in any particular way. He's pretty fast, but not especially so. He's not very 'bendy,' or flexible, and he's not the most instinctive player in the world.
He has a really good motor, and a full offseason with the training staff, a proper conditioning program, etc., he could have a better motor. Maybe a great one. With a specialist training him, he could shave a tenth off his :40 time, which means more acceleration, and even more top speed, which kind of who cares, but to reach that goal he'd also have to get more limber, or bendy. Now, he's never going to be a yoga instructor, but he could significantly improve his flexibility, which could have several benefits.
And he's going to benefit from the coaching staff, in particular coach Cullen, who could greatly accelerate his learning curve, and make him one of the smartest young DEs in the league. That counts for a lot in Spags defense, when you're asked to not only do the traditional things DEs are asked to do in the NFL, but also cover, play all the positions on the DL, maybe even LB, as well. He's going to know a ton about the nuts and bolts of defense in a couple years. This time with Cullen could be formative for Karlaftis. And George has the fundamental building blocks to do what Cullen and Spags are going to be asking of him. He has good recognition skills and good instincts. He takes good angles most of the time, regardless of situation.
And he's playing for the Chiefs, so he's going to have ample opportunities to work on those skills; he'll hardly ever be asked to just defend the run, game after game, right? He's going to be playing in a lot of games where the other team is going to be throwing a lot.
George could transform into one of the best young DEs in a year or two, if he can find a little more burst, flexibility, and get samurai-like about working on his craft.
So, he probably won't ever be elite. Actually, unless he does suddenly become a yoga master, being elite is off the table. Solid mid-tier, he could do that. 8+ sacks a season, maybe peak out at 10+ a couple times?
I think we'd all like that.
|