“I was sitting there the whole night hoping we’d be able to get you.”
Karlaftis gets the call 📲 pic.twitter.com/DRGBDekvnl
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 29, 2022
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Purdue EDGE George Karlaftis at pick No. 30 in the 2022 NFL draft.
He was the second of two first-round draft picks, but when Karlaftis got the call from the team, they made it abundantly clear that he was someone they wanted from the get-go.
“We were looking to get a corner and a defensive end,” Chiefs GM Brett Veach said. “We got the corner earlier, but you were obviously a guy we targeted the whole time.”
“I’m honored, thank you so much,” Karlaftis replied.
Steve Spagnuolo revealed to Karlaftis that he was right atop his wishlist. Knowing his preferences at the position, this isn’t exactly a huge surprise.
“Listen. . . I evaluated a lot of guys this year,” Spagnuolo said. “You were, by far, my top guy, my favorite guy.”
“I was sitting there the whole night hoping that we’d be able to get you,” Spagnuolo said. “So I’m fired up. . .”
Spags wasn’t the only person fired up, though. Karlaftis was equally pumped up and already has his priorities on the right things, which was made clear after speaking with Chiefs CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt.
“We’ve got to get back to the Super Bowl and get another Lombardi,” Hunt said.
“That’s exactly what it’s all about,” Karlaftis responded.
