Why Kansas City Chiefs Draft Picks Trent McDuffie And George Karlaftis Are A Great Fit

Trent McDuffie is the first defensive player the Kansas City Chiefs have drafted in the first round since Marcus Peters, who was also a cornerback prospect from Washington, in 2015.

A two-time Pro Bowler with the Chiefs, Peters was a talented player but had character issues.

He was dismissed from his college team and — while with the Chiefs — he threw a flag into the stands against the New York Jets in 2017 before leaving the game.

Expect no such issues with McDuffie, whose off-the-field attributes have drawn rave reviews. The Athletic 2022 NFL Draft Preview described him as being “obsessive about fundamentals and technique” and a “film junkie with a high football IQ.”

(Disclosure: I am a senior editor at Triumph Books, the publisher of The Athletic 2022 NFL Draft Preview.)

NFL Network and NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah worked as a Baltimore Ravens scout from 2005 to 2006, and the Ravens used to put a red star by prospects they wanted in the locker room because they fit the culture.

“Trent McDuffie is a red star,” Jeremiah said during a conference call. “He’s a red star guy, just everything about him, the way he plays, everything I hear about him from an intangibles standpoint.”

The 5-11, 195-pound McDuffie, though, is more than just a try-hard guy. The cornerback has immense talent, which he displayed early on at Washington.

He became the Huskies’ starting cornerback as a true freshman in 2019.

And last year, according to Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks completed only 16-of-36 passes against him for 111 yards. That included 25 yards after the catch and no touchdowns.

That combination of character and talent is why the Chiefs traded their first-, third- and fourth-round picks to the New England Patriots to move up to No. 21 to select McDuffie.

“We were committed to being selectively aggressive and if a player like a Trent McDuffie was there, then let’s go make a move and get him because he’s really good,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. “He probably wouldn’t have been there at 29, and we were surprised he was there when we selected him with New England’s pick.”

McDuffie fills a pressing need for the Chiefs, who lost cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes this offseason. That duo started a combined 17 games last year.

Ward signed a three-year contract worth more than $40 million with the San Francisco 49ers, and Hughes signed a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Detroit Lions.

Hughes was originally selected 30th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Veach worked the phones and knew there was no way McDuffie would be available by the Chiefs’ picks at 29 and 30 this year. So he aggressively moved up.

“With the way the board was falling,” Veach said, “the odds of a guy like McDuffie being at 21 — let alone 29 — were very low.”

The Chiefs, though, were able to stay put at pick No. 30 to land another player with great off-the-field intangibles — 6-4, 275-pound Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis.

Jeremiah noted how Karlaftis bought an apartment right next to the Purdue athletic facility, so that he could be there frequently.

“He’s just a football junkie,” Jeremiah said. “He’s got a real big motor.”

When Veach researched Karlaftis, the edge rusher’s approach to the game and how important football was to him kept coming up.

Indeed after moving to West Lafayette, Ind. from Athens, Greece in the eighth grade, he began playing football, and it became a passion.

“When you find the one you love, work as hard as you possibly can at it,” Karlaftis said. “I love everything about it. I love the offseason. I like the mental and physical challenge and strain and the chess game. I like every single play is a single challenge both presnap, after the ball snap, during the play — whether it’s executing your assignment, making the play, doing the right thing.”

Like McDuffie, Karlaftis, who earned 2020 Academic All-Big 10 honors, is known for his smarts.

He’s also known for his production on the field.

The first-team All-Big Ten defensive end finished his college career with 25.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, one interception, five passes defended, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one blocked kick.

Jeremiah liked him as a prospect, comparing his relentless nature to Ryan Kerrigan, another Purdue product and one who went on to reach four Pro Bowls.

Not every talent evaluator, however, was enamored with Karlaftis.

“He’s a polarizing player,” Jeremiah said. “Some people are down on him. He’s not real twitched up and bendy, but he’s just a real rugged player who can power through.”

Frank Clark, the starting right defensive end for the Chiefs, has polarized as well. His five sacks during the 2019 postseason helped power the Chiefs to a Super Bowl victory.

But he had just 4.5 sacks last year, marking his lowest total since his rookie season in 2015.

Clark has two years left on his contract, which was restructured this offseason, but there’s an out, where the Chiefs would have just $9.075 million of dead cap money if they let him go after 2022.

Whether or not Karlaftis replaces Clark in the long run, both 2022 first-round picks should make an impact from Day One of the coming NFL season.

“Absolutely,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “Yeah, sure, these are first‐round picks. They’ll get in there and compete.”