When George Karlaftis arrived on campus as an early enrollee in January 2019, he had one goal: Get to the NFL.
Mission: accomplished.
On Thursday in Las Vegas during the opening night of the 2022 NFL draft, Karlaftis was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 30th overall pick of the first round.
Karlaftis is the first Purdue player to go in the first round since Ryan Kerrigan went No. 16 overall to Washington in 2011.
Karlaftis joins a fraternity of former Boilermaker defensive ends who have been drafted in the last 25, with Anthony Spencer (Cowboys 2007) also being a first-rounder in addition to Kerrigan.
"I've set out this goal, this aspiration, this dream, whatever you want to call it," Karlaftis told GoldandBlack.com last winter while prepping for the draft. "I wrote this goal down in a notebook before I even played a snap of football. So, it's been a long way in the making, that's for sure. A lot of hard work, a lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone into this. It doesn't happen without a dedication, a want-to and a lot of great people around me. And, of course, some luck, right?
"Sometimes I'll look back and it's been a wild ride from moving from Greece, not really knowing anything and then kind of learning more and more. So, that's been good. Even now, I have a lot to learn. I think that's the most exciting part is how much I still have to learn. That's the thing that keeps you going, is wanting to learn more and wanting to be better. It's what I had set out to do. I know I had a lot of doubters down the road. But all I need is to believe in myself. That's always been good for me."
The most notable former Purdue player who toiled for the Chiefs is quarterback Len Dawson, who played in Kansas City from 1962-75. He led the Chiefs to a win in Super Bowl 4. Dawson's Chiefs teams were coached by former Purdue player and assistant Hank Stram.
The last two Purdue players drafted by Kansas City were defensive tackle Alex Magee in the third round in 2009 and safety Bernard Pollard in the second-round in 2006.
In just three years at Purdue, Karlaftis made a big impact before heading to the pro ranks a year early. Now, the 21-year-old is off to chase his NFL team.
Karlaftis' impact can't be measured in just stats, though his were impressive--29 TFLs, 14 sacks and countless pressures. Rather, he helped bring credibility to the program in the early stages of the Jeff Brohm era by choosing Purdue coming out of nearby West Lafayette High School as a decorated four-star recruit who could have gone anywhere.
The 6-4, 275-pound Karlaftis leaves having helped the program finish with a winning record en route to earning All-American honors. He was a game-changer, a transcendent talent.
Did Karlaftis' Boilermaker career unfold like he envisioned?
"Maybe a little better and a little worse in different ways," said Karlaftis. "Better for sure from an individual perspective. I got treated incredibly. Couldn't have asked for a better experience getting ready for what was ultimately my goal. Going to be leaving Purdue in the best way I could. I'm getting ready to become a professional football player.
"The 2019, 2020 seasons weren't the best. Maybe we could have done a couple of things differently. I know there's a lot of factors that play into that. But we finished with a great season, obviously. A 9-4 season is great. So, I think that a lot of the guys that came here with me and a little before me, maybe a little after me, set out to leave Purdue in a better place. And I want to say we did that."
Now, Karlaftis looks to make his mark in the NFL.
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