Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid wasted no time on Thursday night, giving one of his newest players an apt nickname.
Speaking with reporters during the post-Round 1 press conference, Reid was asked whether Trent McDuffie or George Karlaftis had taken visits with the team. He took that opportunity to assign Karlaftis a fitting moniker.
“That’s a good question. For sure we did not have the ‘Greek Freak II’ in,” Reid said. “We didn’t have him in. You’re going to love him. He’s high‐octane, man. You’re going to love him.”
“The Greek Freak” would be the nickname assigned to Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who hails from Athens, Greece and earned the nickname because of his size and athleticism. Karlaftis moved to West Lafayette, Indiana, from Athens when he was 13 years old. It also happens to be when he started to play football.
“Looking back on it, it’s pretty crazy to think about,” Karlaftis said of his journey to the US and playing football. “I feel like, in more, generally speaking, I’ve always excelled in sports to a certain extent. Football sort of came natural to me after I had a full year under my belt. I surely fell in love with it. Just looking back on it, I had a crazy, crazy ride. And just like the French say, c’est la vie, right? That’s life.”
Like Antetokounmpo, Karlaftis has great size and athleticism. His college highlight-reel is flashy and it certainly makes you think that he’s fitting for the nickname.
As for his Greek heritage, Karlaftis is something of a unicorn in the NFL. According to Pro Football Reference, via the Chiefs’ post-draft fact sheet, Karlaftis will become just the sixth player born in Greece to ever play a snap in the NFL. Come Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season, he’ll join OL Will Rackley (2011‐13), DB Chris Farasopoulos (1971‐74), G Angelo Loukas (1969‐70), G John Maskas (1947‐49) and G Gust Zarnas (1938‐40). There aren’t exactly any Hall of Famers on this list, let alone Pro Bowlers or All-Pros. Karlaftis has an opportunity to perhaps become the most notable NFL player to ever hail from Greece.