George Karlaftis

George Karlaftis

24-Year-Old Defensive EndDE
Kansas City Chiefs
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Kansas City's decision to exercise the fifth-year option in Karlaftis' rookie deal keeps him under contract through 2026. The 2022 first-round pick took a step backwards in 2024, with 35 total tackles including 8.0 sacks across 16 regular-season games, after tallying 47 tackles including 10.5 sacks in the same amount of contests in 2023. He'll look to rebound in Year 4, as he remains locked into a starting role in the Chiefs' pass-rush unit. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#375.15
ADP
#Subscriber-Only
IDP
Signed a four-year, $93 million contract with the Chiefs in July of 2025.
Another sack in Week 4 win
DEKansas City Chiefs
September 30, 2025
Karlaftis recorded two tackles (two solo), including 1.0 sacks, in the Chiefs' win over the Ravens on Sunday.
ANALYSIS
Karlaftis has been extremely disruptive through four games to begin the season, as he's already up to 18 tackles (13 solo), including 3.0 sacks and six TFLs, 10 QB hits and one pass breakup on 88 percent of the defensive snaps for Kansas City. Only Nik Bonitto has logged more QB hits (11) than Karlaftis through four games.
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2025 NFL Game Log
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2024 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Kansas City ChiefsChiefs 2025 DE Snap Distribution
#% of Team Snaps

21588%
14860%
10041%
4719%
62%
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2025 George Karlaftis Split Stats
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring George Karlaftis See More
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring George Karlaftis See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
Karlaftis took the next step toward stardom in 2023, reaching the double-digit sacks threshold (10.5) in his second professional campaign despite playing only minimally more snaps (719 to 703 as a rookie in 2022). Karlaftis added an impressive four-sack output to lead the team in the playoffs, potentially foreshadowing a big defensive season ahead for him and a unit that retains most of its personnel from a season ago.
Karlaftis, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, handled a regular role on defense for the Chiefs from the get-go, logging 49 snaps in Week 1. However, things didn't really click for the 6-4, 263-pounder early on, as he racked up just a half-sack and 18 tackles over his first 10 games. Things picked up for the Purdue product in Week 12, starting a stretch over the final seven regular-season games in which he recorded 5.5 sacks. While Karlaftis isn't going to be a tackle machine working on the end, he could prove a valuable commodity in the sacks department if he can carry his late-season momentum into the coming campaign.
Kansas City struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks last season, finishing the regular season with the fourth-fewest sacks (31) in the league. Enter Karlaftis, who posted 7.5 sacks as a freshman in 2019 and finished last year with 4.5 sacks and 39 tackles last year. He should settle into pass-rushing duties opposite Frank Clark on the edge, an area that was lacking last season. Karlafts will likely be given the green light as a starter out of the gate, assuming he proves worthy in camp.
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Disruptive on defense Sunday
DEKansas City Chiefs
September 22, 2025
Karlaftis tallied 10 tackles (eight solo), including 1.0 sacks, and defensed a pass in a 22-9 win over the Giants in Week 3.
ANALYSIS
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Records Week 1 sack
DEKansas City Chiefs
September 7, 2025
Karlaftis notched three tackles (two solo), including 1.0 sacks, in Friday's Week 1 loss to the Chargers.
ANALYSIS
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Lands big extension from KC
DEKansas City Chiefs
July 20, 2025
Karlaftis agreed to a four-year, $93 million contract with the Chiefs on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
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Fifth-year option exercised
DEKansas City Chiefs
April 29, 2025
Karlaftis had the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, worth $15.1 million, picked up by Kansas City on Tuesday, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.
ANALYSIS
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Gets after QB again in 2024
DEKansas City Chiefs
February 13, 2025
Karlaftis recorded 35 tackles (21 solo), including 8.0 sacks, and five passes defensed in 16 games during the regular season.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Likely extension candidate
DEKansas City Chiefs
April 21, 2025
Karlaftis could get a contract extension from Kansas City after the draft, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.
ANALYSIS
"Once this [draft] process ends, we'll be in discussions with [right guard] Trey [Smith] trying to get him done and then I'm sure at some point here [with] George and [cornerback] Trent [McDuffie]," general manager Brett Veach said Thursday. "We're going to have dialogue with them." Karlaftis has recorded 18.5 sacks over the last two seasons in 32 regular-season games, and he came up big during Kansas City's 2024 playoff run, racking up 4.0 sacks in three postseason contests, including 3.0 in a divisional-round win over the Texans.
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