The Kansas City Chiefs' three-year veteran pass rusher, George Karlaftis, was recently tabbed as the "most underrated" defensive end in the NFL.
What defines an underrated player? According to ESPN's Aaron Schatz, it's "someone who is better than the conventional wisdom suggests." But is can also mean so much more.
Schatz went through current NFL rosters to find the most underrated player at each position in the league - not per team.
And in his quest, he suggested Kansas City Chiefs' pass rusher George Karlaftis is that guy at defensive end.
"If you want to find an underrated edge rusher, there's a general rule to follow: Look for someone who ranks a lot higher in pressures than sacks. That means he's getting to the quarterback and causing negative plays for the opponent, even if he isn't getting the press. In 2024, Karlaftis was that guy. He followed up a 10.5-sack season in 2023 with eight sacks last season, but his pressure total was far more impressive. Karlaftis was tied for 14th in the NFL with 44 pressures.
"He added 11 more pressures in three playoff games and had three sacks against the Texans in the AFC divisional round."
Karlaftis was drafted by the Chiefs in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft after three seasons with the Purdue Boilermakers.
The Athens, Greece, native set the tone early for his pro career, posting 33 tackles, six sacks, two fumble recoveries and seven passes defended in his rookie campaign. He also notched two tackles in Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles when the Chiefs won 38-35.
Across 49 career regular season games with 44 starts, Karlaftis has registered 115 tackles with 68 solo, 24.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and 15 passes defended. He's added 28 total tackles with 16 solo, seven sacks and two fumble recoveries in eight career starts in the postseason.
