Our draft from the Dane Brugler draft guide

[The Franchise]

Since everyone didn't have the guide before the draft, I figured I would put his write ups for each player.

First round:

#21 - Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
#2 rated CB.
#12 in the Top 300 list.

2. TRENT MCDUFFIE | Washington 5106 | 193 lbs. | JR. Westminster, Calif. (St. John Bosco) 9/13/2000 (age 21.63) #22

BACKGROUND: Trent McDuffie, who is the second-youngest of five children, was born and raised in Orange County, Calif. He started playing flag football at age 6 before starting tackle football the next year, playing mostly running back through Pop Warner and youth leagues. McDuffie started his prep career at Mater Dei High as a freshman before transferring to Servite High, a private Catholic school, for his sophomore and junior seasons. He moved to cornerback (a position he had never played before) in high school and registered 50 tackles, 12 passes defended, two interceptions and two forced fumbles as a junior, adding four touchdown catches as a receiver and running back and one punt return touchdown on special teams. McDuffie transferred to his third school in four years when he moved to St. John Bosco High, another private Catholic school, for his senior season. He led the program to a 13-1 record and 2018 conference title with their only loss coming to Mater Dei in the championship game. McDuffie earned Second Team All-State honors with 37 tackles and three interceptions as a senior. He also lettered in track, setting personal bests of 10.82 in the 100 meters and 23’8 in the long jump and competed in the 4x100 relay team at state in 2018.

A four-star recruit out of high school, he was the No. 12 cornerback in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 19 recruit in the state of California. He received scholarships from most of the top programs around the country, including Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame and Oregon. But McDuffie picked Washington over Stanford and USC because of the program’s track record of producing defensive backs. He wears No. 22 because that was the jersey number of his older brother (Tyler), who died when Trent was in eighth grade. His mother (Michelle) was a sprinter at UC Irvine. McDuffie decided to skip his senior season and enter the 2022 NFL Draft.

STRENGTHS: Above-average athleticism and anticipation … explosive in his click and close because of his balanced pedal and footwork at the top of routes … quick and patient with his transitions and doesn’t panic, which allows him to stay attached to receivers … covers with the confidence and mental process of an NFL veteran… has a quick processor to handle double-play calls and make appropriate checks based on formation and situation … fundamentally focused, and the Huskies scheme has him well-prepared for NFL life … creates leverage in the run game with his pursuit angles and ability to shake blockers … low, controlled tackler with plus [230]
competitive toughness … energetic motor and makes tackles from the opposite side of where he started … averaged 8.2 yards per punt return (9/74/0) … highly coachable and mature with a process-oriented mindset.

WEAKNESSES: Doesn’t have elite size or length and is near maxed out physically … receivers can shield him from the catch point … his lack of inches will show on comebacks or jump balls … unimpressive ball production, including only two interceptions (none in 2021) … gives up inside position too easily to route runners and needs to develop his jam technique (played a lot of press-bail) … missed one game as a senior because of an injured left ankle (September 2021).

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Washington, McDuffie was an outside cornerback in former head coach Jimmy Lake’s defensive scheme. After earning a starting job as a true freshman, he quickly established himself as one of the top cover corners in the country, even though that wasn’t reflected in the stat sheet because offenses would often throw away from him. McDuffie is fluid in both man and zone coverages and rarely appears stressed athletically because of his feel for timing and spacing. While he is a top athlete, his mental skills might be even more impressive with eyes that are dialed in and the processing to sort through everything and communicate like an extra coach on the field. Overall, McDuffie might not hit ideal size thresholds for some, but he is an easy sell in draft rooms because he has
outstanding athleticism, intelligence and is well-schooled in various techniques. He has a high ceiling and a high floor and should start as an NFL rookie.

GRADE: 1st Round (No. 12 overall)

#30 - George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue
#5 rated EDGE
#18 in the Top 300 list.

BACKGROUND: George Karlaftis (CAR-loft-tis), who is the oldest of four children, was born and raised in Athens, Greece, where he was a standout goalkeeper on Greece’s 16-and-under national water polo team. In June 2014, his father (Matt), who was a native of Greece and an accomplished professor at the National Technical University of Athens, died unexpectedly from a heart attack at 44. His mother (Amy) moved the family halfway across the globe to her hometown West Lafayette, Ind., to be closer to her family (after meeting and falling in love while studying at Purdue, Matt and Amy moved to Greece, married, and started a family).

Karlaftis, who spoke primarily Greek growing up, was 13 and in eighth grade when they moved to the United States and he tried football for the first time. He attended West Lafayette High and spent his freshman year on the bench, where he learned the game. As a sophomore, Karlaftis saw his hard work pay off with 113 tackles and 13.0 sacks. As a senior, he led West Lafayette to a 15-0 record and the 2018 Class 3A state championship. Karlaftis finished his senior year with 106 tackles, 56.0 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks to earn Indiana Class 3A Player of the Year honors and an invite to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he received the national Defensive Player of the Year honor. He finished his prep career with 84.0 tackles for loss and 41.0 sacks. Karlaftis also lettered in basketball and track at West Lafayette, where he was the back-to-back state champion in the shot put (59 feet 5 1/2 inches as a sophomore, 60 feet 1/2 inch as a junior). He didn’t have a chance to make it three consecutive state championships because he enrolled early at Purdue.

A four-star recruit out of high school, Karlaftis was the No. 4 strongside defensive end in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 1 recruit from the state of Indiana. He received offers from almost every major program, including Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC. However, Karlaftis lived a mile away from the Purdue campus, and the family connections to the university helped lead him to the Boilermakers (he attended Purdue games since he was a toddler when they would visit family in the states). His father was an accomplished collegiate athlete at Miami (1990-94), throwing the javelin on the track and field team and walking on
to the football team (a head injury that required surgery ended his football career). His younger brother (Yanni) just finished his freshman year as a linebacker at Purdue. Karlaftis elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2022 NFL Draft. He also skipped Purdue’s 2021 bowl game.

STRENGTHS: Rushes with a quick first step and relentless energy ... not only shows physical, booming hands, but knows what to do with them ... shows bull-rushing instincts and slams his brass knuckles into the chest of blockers to drive them backward ... displays various power rush techniques, including a stab, two-hand swipe and long-arm ... has a knack for knocking away the hands/wrist of blockers ... balanced through contact and forces his way through the blocker’s shoulder ... strike power is impressive ... plays with a reliable GPS for the football and rarely takes himself out of plays ... owns a sculpted frame with a yoked upper body and thick thighs/hips ... his body is his temple, and he is religious about his training and nutrition to keep himself at peak condition (played 55.6 snaps per game in 2021) ...coaches rave about his commitment level and desire to improve each day (head coach Jeff Brohm: “He lives in the building trying to improve and get better ... he
takes everything extremely seriously and puts in the effort each and every day, well beyond what most guys do.”) ... impressive production in his three seasons in college, leading the team in tackles for loss and sacks both years he was healthy.

WEAKNESSES: Shorter-than-ideal arms, allowing long-armed blockers to control his frame (see Ohio State tape vs. RT Dawand Jones) ... short-stepping rusher and appears tight in his cornering and flattening (didn’t perform the 3-cone drill pre-draft for a reason) ... average closing burst and redirection skills to the ball ...inconsistent finisher with a surprisingly high percentage of missed tackles ... needs to convert more of his pressures into sacks ... struggles vs. double-teams ... hyperfocused on the ball and can be late to read receiver motions or angled blocks ... better pass-rushing instincts than run-defending instincts ... inconsistent gap integrity vs. the run and needs to take his contain responsibilities more seriously.

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Purdue, Karlaftis played primarily as a stand-up field rusher in co-defensive coordinator Brad Lambert’s scheme, also seeing snaps as a three-technique on the interior to take advantage of his quickness and strength. A Greece native who moved to the U.S. in 2014, he developed a love for football and shows an unmatched work ethic, which helped him log 30.5 TFL and 14.5 sacks over his 27 games in a Purdue uniform. Karlaftis’ hands are not only physical and violent, but they’re well-timed and strategic to get the offense off schedule. For a player with his play speed, strength and physicality, he misses too many tackles and needs to become a more controlled finisher. Overall, Karlaftis doesn’t have elite length or athletic twitch, but he has NFL power, effort and hand work to break
down the rhythm of blockers and be disruptive. He is a starting NFL defensive end in a traditional four-man front.

GRADE: 1st Round (No. 18 overall)