Andy Reid nicknames Chiefs' 1st-round pick 'Greek Freak 2'
The Kansas City Chiefs landed their own "Greek Freak" on Thursday night when they selected Purdue edge rusher and Greece native George Karlaftis at No. 30 in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid bestowed the nickname "Greek Freak 2" on Karlaftis - a nod to Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo - while discussing the 21-year-old at a post-draft press conference.
"We didn't have the 'Greek Freak 2' in (the team facilities before the draft). ... You're gonna love him," Reid said. "He is high octane, this guy."
Karlaftis moved from Greece to the United States when he was 13 years old, after which he learned to play football. He described the transition as a "crazy ride."
"Looking back on it, it's pretty crazy to think about," Karlaftis told reporters Thursday. "I feel like, in more generally speaking, I've always excelled in sports to a certain extent. Football sort of came naturally to me after I had a full year under my belt. I surely fell in love with it.
"But just looking back on everything, just had a crazy, crazy, crazy ride. And just like the French say, c'est la vie, right? That's life."