George Karlaftis becomes only 3rd rookie to start 17 games for Chiefs
George Karlaftis dominated during his time at Purdue and he’s off to a hot start in the NFL as well. The former Boilermaker became just the 3rd Chiefs player to start 17 games in one season Saturday as the Chiefs took on the Las Vegas Raiders.
Karlaftis joins Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey as the only players to do so, with the DE becoming the first defensive rookie to accomplish the feat. Of course, it is worth noting that the NFL only recently expanded its regular season to 17 games from 16 games last season.
With his start in today’s game, rookie DE George Karlaftis has now started all 17 games this season. He joins C Creed Humphrey (2021) and G Trey Smith (2021) as only the third player to start 17 games in their rookie season for the club
— Chiefs Communications (@ChiefsPR) January 7, 2023
Karlaftis has earned his spot on the field, too. He’s totaled 33 tackles, 6 sacks, 7 passes deflections and 8 tackles for loss.
He was taken by the Chiefs with the 30th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.