In his latest 2022 NFL mock draft for Touchdown Wire, Mark Schofield has the Denver Broncos selecting Purdue edge defender George Karlaftis with the ninth overall pick in the first round.
Schofield has Liberty quarterback Malik Willis going off the board one pick before the Broncos go on the clock. With the top QB unavailable, Denver targets a long-term replacement for Von Miller. Schofield also seems to be assuming the Broncos will have acquired a veteran QB before the draft:
The idea here is that the Denver Broncos, one of the teams that could make a legitimate case at being just “a quarterback away,” look to address that position via a veteran rather than the draft. Provided that is their plan, they can look to add on the edge after the Von Miller trade. George Karlaftis is explosive off the edge, with a solid pass-rushing plan for each snap and he displayed good hands on the outside throughout his college career. With a need to find a replacement for Miller, the Broncos do just that. Of course, this assumes they have addressed the quarterback needs through other means…
Karlaftis (6-4, 275 pounds) played defensive end in college but he would presumably play as an outside linebacker in Denver’s base 3-4 defense.
The 20-year-old edge defender totaled 97 tackles (including 29 tackles for losses), 14 sacks, six pass breakups, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and one defensive touchdown in 26 games with the Boilermakers.
The Broncos have 11 picks to use in this year’s draft (April 28-30).
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