Would Texans Draft DE George Karlaftis At 13?
HOUSTON -- Lovie Smith spent five seasons at Illinois before becoming the defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans. His teams lined up against big-time talent across the Big Ten.
As the Texans coach, he's now in position to target several of those talents. One being Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis, who likely played himself into the conversation at No. 13 should Houston stand pat on April 28.
A native of Greece, Karlaftis worked out for 30 NFL teams Tuesday at Purdue's Pro Day. The 6-5, 275-pounder moved without hesitation through drills. His agility made him look the part of a top-tier pass rusher.
Then came the 40. He didn't disappoint, posting a time of 4.71, roughly .3 seconds faster than that of Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.
What might make the speed that much more impressive is the weather conditions, as it was around 23 degrees.
Karlaftis chose to not the run 40 in Indianapolis after dealing with a lower body injury in training.
“There's a lot of stuff,” Karlaftis said Tuesday. “Had a little bit of hamstring and just didn't feel comfortable.”
Houston is in the market for a pass rusher to pair alongside third-year pro Jonathan Greenard. Last season, the Texans finished bottom-five in sacks with 32. Greenard, who led the team with eight sacks, was the only player who tallied more than three on the active roster by the season's end.
Smith already has familiarity with what Karlaftis can bring to the table in a four-man front. The Boilermakers run a similar defensive look to that of the Texans. In the two games Smith's Fighting Illini faced Karlaftis, the "Greek Freak" impressed, recording six pressures and a pair of sacks.
Karlaftis didn't produce record-breaking numbers for the Boilermakers, but he was a consistent presence adding pressure on both passing and rushing downs. The Texans finished 31st last season defending the run.
Karlaftis' measurables mirror those of Cincinnati Bengals' Trey Hendrickson. When drafted out of Florida Atlantic by the New Orleans Saints, Hendrickson took time to develop his pass-rushing skills, but provided high upside on run plays. He currently has recorded 27.5 sacks over the past two seasons and is considered one of the game's best at attacking the quarterback.
Karlaftis is far from a finished product, but the numbers, testing and positional value is there for Houston to potentially pick at No. 13. The Texans need edge help. Karlaftis meets the criteria of what Smith is looking for.
