Mocking George Karlaftis To The Bucs In Round 1
March 25th, 2022
Nothing makes Joe smile on a Friday quite like a Big Storm beer and the thought of a talented new edge rusher on the Bucs.
Pass rush. Pass rush. Pass rush! Joe will always pound the table for a pass rusher. And the Bucs could use help on the edge but they can afford little in free agency.
So why not look to the draft? That was the attitude today of Pat Kirwan, the former Jets personnel chief and linebackers coach, as he engaged in a live mock draft during his Movin’ The Chains show on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
George Karlaftis out of Purdue was the pick at No. 27 overall. At 6-4, 270 pounds, Karlaftis is extremely athletic and made 48 plays (sacks/tackles for loss) behind the line of scrimmage in his 27 college games, all starts. He’s an edge rusher and was first team All-Big 10.
“I don’t think he’s ever going to a Pro Bowl, but I do think he’s going to be a starter in this league and they need help right now,” Kirwan said of Karlaftis joining the Bucs.
Again, Joe will never wag a finger at drafting an edge rusher. Karlaftis is turns 21 next month and already is powerful dude who likely will add some man weight and power at the NFL level.
March 25th, 2022 at 10:28 pm
LOL, Man I would love a guy like him but no way he falls to us.
March 25th, 2022 at 10:29 pm
Someone will fall to us, I hope they can be better than Noah Spence II aka Joe Tryon Showinski.
March 25th, 2022 at 10:40 pm
I think JTS deserves to start.
March 25th, 2022 at 10:47 pm
A power rusher on the other side will make Shaq 2x more effective- like JPP was in 2019 and 2020. JTS is a speed guy poor v the run and leaves a lot of gaps for qbs to escape.
March 25th, 2022 at 10:49 pm
IDK Goatfarmer.
You’ve got some pretty high expectations from a guy who had rust crusted all over him in his rookie year, and at the very high pick of number 31 and not number 1.
Then again he Did have 4.5 sacks and a hell of a lot of QB pressures considering the facts I stated above and the fact that he did just about all he could do with the limited opportunities he did get in his “rookie year” I’ve got a feeling that the rust is gone now and that he may even start to show Serious signs of becoming a bad arse Very soon now.
This new prospect looks Real nice as a partner for him to grow with though. It Sure Is a pick we could use.
GO BUCS!
March 25th, 2022 at 10:53 pm
Goatfarmer Says: Noh Spence=JTS lets please hope not–forgot about Noah Spence–what a disappointment he was.
Karlaftis is only 21–good
get Zion if available for guard
get edge later–draft a good body with a motor and teach em up
March 25th, 2022 at 10:54 pm
trade back and get 2 fast and long corners in second round can’t have enough!
March 25th, 2022 at 11:27 pm
Karalaftis will not make it past PHI’s #19 pick on Day1, if he makes it out the top 15.
March 25th, 2022 at 11:31 pm
Dude will be long gone by our pick.
March 25th, 2022 at 11:36 pm
Who ever it is we need jpp or high motor player on dline.
March 25th, 2022 at 11:40 pm
Good because JTS is a huge FAIL. Shame we wasted a first pick on him.
March 25th, 2022 at 11:41 pm
We need interior DL and EDGE. Have done nothing at all to adress either position yet. With that 1st pick them should be the only positions we look at.
Dont know what you people are thinking saying G. You might need to go back and rewatch our last game to remember just how abysmal our passrush was. 100% we need more from the defensive front…….Also guard is the easiest position in football to fill. Complete waste of a pick for a team going for a SB.
March 25th, 2022 at 11:50 pm
@catcard02,
Huh? He’s been consistently mocked most places into the bottom third of the 1st Rd. I doubt he’s top 20.
March 26th, 2022 at 12:05 am
I’m more interested in a future replacement for levonte David
March 26th, 2022 at 1:38 am
Damn. Not even close to second year and a-holes are bombing JTS. I’m sure he’s putting in work so I’m excited to look for development in 2022.
March 26th, 2022 at 1:41 am
Karlaftis won’t last to that spot. They’d have to trade up. Which I don’t think they will do.
Edge: Jermaine Johnson, Arnold Ebiketie (Shaq Barrett 2.0), Myjai Sanders, Sam Williams. Perion Winfrey DT. Logan Hall DE/DT.
March 26th, 2022 at 4:47 am
JimmyJack … Agreed about focusing on DT & DE at the top of our draft, but would also add CB in there (given that we have at least 3 CBs who’ll be FAs in 2023?). Bucs must get younger on the DLine, and don’t have years & years to develop guys to replace Suh, JPP, McLendon & possibly Gholston down the line. The effectiveness of our whole defense starts up-front, and replacing beasts like Suh & JPP with 7th Rounders won’t accomplish anything. Bucs can’t keep paying big $$$ to bring in FAs to create our pass rush; need to draft & develop at least some of our own (Vea was an excellent start).
Karlaftis has excellent size, and SI credits him with having a ‘quick first step, violent hands and a nonstop motor’. They also rank him as the 6th best DE, so he MIGHT just be there at #27. Only time will tell.
March 26th, 2022 at 5:54 am
JTS was always one step away from a sack or took a bad angle. Go back and look at the game film. I expect a marked improvement this year because he is more used to game speed and more coaching. Far from a bust.
March 26th, 2022 at 6:14 am
The Buc’s most immediate needs in the draft are DE, DT, and CB.
Karlaftis and Johnson will probably be available when the Bucs pick at #27, both players would fill a need and are both high motor/max effort guys.
Both have good hand fighting skills.
Johnson has a little better bend.
Karlaftis is better against the run.
If the Bucs drafted either of them, then I would be happy with the pick, but I really hope Wyatt from Georgia falls to us.
Either way, in today’s NFL you must be 2 deep at DT and DE, and the Bucs do not have that right now.
March 26th, 2022 at 6:24 am
OK, JTS has had a year to develop. If this year mirrors last years, chicken without s head performance, we are in trouble. The weight room is a must, he’s not nearly strong enough to be a force at this level.
March 26th, 2022 at 7:07 am
Need to draft DE in the 1st and DT in the 2nd. You can’t get a very good DE if you don’t pick them in the 1st. I like Wyatt (UGA) or Johnson (FSU) if either are there. There will probably be a run on DTs on day 2. I like Jones (UCON) and Hall (UH). I do not like Perrion (OU) as he doesn’t seem to be a fit for our scheme. I would be happy with a trade back if we could stay in the first rd or top 5 of the second and pick up a mid-3rd rounder.
The Bucs also must draft a TE – probably in 3rd rd. Assumi g Gronk comes back, it’s on a 1-year deal; Brate is getting older and his performance is decreasing. Need to replace OJ to begin rebuilding the TE group for the future. Lots of depth here in the Draft. If the top 2 from CSU and TX A&M are gone, I like Ruckert OSU and Woods UVA. If we get an extra pick, grab a CB. If not, Licht will have to decide RB or CB in the 4th.
With the Fournette re-signing, RB won’t be a priority. The top RBs will be gone, but there are plenty of proven RBs available in the 4th for rotational duty who can also block and catch out of the backfield (Cook UGA, White ASU, Robinson ALA, Williams ND or maybe Pierce UF).
Licht has proven he can find a good G on day 2 or early day 3. I think the Bucs are going to see if Hainsey or Stinnie can win the job in training camp and not draft O-Line.
March 26th, 2022 at 7:18 am
Bucs should explore trading WRs for day 3 picks. I would love to get back a 5th or 6th rd pick by trading Miller and Johnson. Right now they are #6 and #7 on the depth chart behind Evans, Godwin, Gage, Perriman and Grayson. They aren’t the future or even the present.
Use the picks if you can get them for a P and a special teams LB (Minter replacement?).
March 26th, 2022 at 8:01 am
You already wasted a #1 pick on a edge rusher last year don’t make the same mistake this year.
March 26th, 2022 at 8:02 am
Would rather stick with Anthony Nelson who had 5 sacks last year in limited play and holds up against the run.
March 26th, 2022 at 9:35 am
He will be long gone by 27. Let’s keep our speculation realistic please!
March 26th, 2022 at 11:00 am
Karlaftis is a Greek Name, so if he comes to Tampa, he will be right at home in Tarpon Springs.
March 26th, 2022 at 11:03 am
It’s more important to shore up the DL, get younger there, and increase pass rush in the middle… but if none of our best options are available at that point, it never hurts to add another outside rusher. But, safety and corner are bigger needs than edge.
March 26th, 2022 at 11:08 am
Get him!
March 26th, 2022 at 4:02 pm
I like this better than the tiny RB that Helmet Hair mocked to us in round 1. And that helmet seems to get thinner each year.