George Karlaftis details his relationship with his mentor, who’s a beloved former Chiefs player

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The transition from college to the NFL is abrupt. Having gained experience in college doesn’t even compare with the difficulty a player faces when entering the professional league.

Many freshmen and even veterans, after going through their first few years in the NFL, turn to former players or even coaches to help them develop as an athlete.

Patrick Mahomes, for example, has a private personal trainer who helps him maximise his playing ability and looks after his physical health during the offseason.

It’s even common for a coach to assist more than one player in the league, albeit from different teams.

Chiefs’ defensive end undergoes private coaching

Greek linebacker George Karlaftis was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round in 2022.

Karlaftis finished his rookie season with 33 tackles, six sacks, two fumble recoveries and seven passes defended.

That same year, the Chiefs made it to Super Bowl LVII, where they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, with Karlaftis recording two tackles in the game.

As a sophomore, he concluded last season with 47 tackles, 10.5 sacks, one forced fumble and three passes defended.

The turning point for the defensive end was the presence of a person, or rather a former KC player, who has been decisive in the Greek’s evolution.

Tamba Hali, beloved of the Chiefs Kingdom

If you’re a Kansas City fan, you’re sure to be a fan of Tamba Hali.

His NFL career spanned 12 years – all of them with the Chiefs. The defensive end was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls between 2010 and 2015, and was named Second-Team All-Pro in 2011 and 2013.

Hali signed a one-day contract with the franchise in 2021 to retire as a member of the team.

Since then, he has dedicated himself to helping other players in the league improve their skills.

Karlaftis told the Love You Bro podcast how much Hali means to him and how he’s helped him polish his game.

“After my rookie season, I reflected upon how my season had gone or, in that you look for ways that you can get better and improve and really take your game to the next level,” said.

“So I shout out to Ramzee Robinson, him and I were talking, he knows me really well – and he was like,’Hey, I have this guy… I know you’ve been working and I reached out to him for you. He’d love to sit down and talk to you and all stuff.”

“I was like, ‘Oh, sweet’, and then Tamba from there we started working out together, we started getting to the gym together, jiu-jitsu, he started teaching me pass-rush stuff that he had done. He’s been a great mentor, a great friend and just someone I love being around and working with.”

How the dynamic between Karlaftis and Hali works

The off-season is the part of the year when the two of them get to spend a lot of time training together.

That’s because when the regular season starts, there are a lot of preparations and Karlaftis lives at the Chiefs’ facilities almost 24/7.

In the podcast, the 23-year-old was asked how he reconciles internal workouts with the team’s coaches and off-field work with Hali.

“We’re in pretty regular communication, you know, even last season he’d send me texts after major games, make all that kind of stuff – he’s been awesome,” noted.

He then added that they both share a similar background: “I think we’ve connected on more than just like a level of like a protégé, almost like someone that’s teaching me stuff, if you look at our stories they’re kind of similar with him growing up in Liberia moving here, you know, his dad, like mine was a professor, so there’s a lot of similarities.”