Getty Edge rusher Von Miller celebrates his second Super Bowl on February 16, 2022.
NFL positional summits have been all the rave in recent years and one of the original summer workouts was “Von Miller’s Pass Rush Summit.”
Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and San Francisco 49ers counterpart George Kittle actually admitted that Miller’s organized event helped inspire their creation of “Tight End University,” another positional camp that Noah Gray will be attending alongside Kelce in 2022.
This offseason marked Miller’s sixth pass rush summit, which was held in Las Vegas, and two Chiefs youngsters decided to make the trip.
I’m excited to head back to Las Vegas and the @MResort for my 6th Annual Pass Rush Summit presented by @virtualstax #VMpassrush2022
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Karlaftis & Kaindoh Putting in Extra Work
It may not come as a surprise that Chiefs 2022 first-rounder George Karlaftis was in attendance. The workhorse out of Purdue is known for giving 110% and signing up to train with the NFL’s best and brightest sounds like something that would be right up his alley.
NFL Network reporter Steve Wyche revealed Karlaftis’ presence.
Cam Jordan, Jeffrey Simmons, George Karlaftis….there were a few others. There were some collegiate players as well. The event was staged by Miller and former Falcons pass rusher Chuck Smith, who has trained Miller and dozens of other passengers rushers and prospects for years.
He tweeted: “Cam Jordan, Jeffrey Simmons, George Karlaftis….there were a few others. There were some collegiate players as well. The event was staged by Miller and former Falcons pass rusher Chuck Smith, who has trained Miller and dozens of other passengers rushers and prospects for years.”
According to Charles Goldman of Chiefs Wire, 2021 “fourth-round draft pick, Joshua Kaindoh, was also among the players in attendance for the event.”
The 2022 Von Miller Pass Rush Summit was amazing. Thank you @VonMiller, @chucksmithnfl, @Coach_Diron & everyone else for a great experience. Loved linking & learning with some of the best pass rushers, coaches & trainers in the game today!
Photo cred: @twftraining
Goldman informed: “This is a unique event where many of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, current and former, can link up and learn from one another to share tools of the trade… The summit included on-field work and tutoring from Miller, Justin Houston, Chandler Jones and others. There were also several film sessions, including one on Cam Jordan, where he had a chance to break down his film in front of all the players.”
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Big Year for Kaindoh
While Karlaftis is certainly the bigger name, Kaindoh has more riding on the 2022 campaign. After practically redshirting as a rookie, the pass rusher has dropped down the depth chart.
As of now, the sophomore edge rusher will be competing with players like Mike Danna and Malik Herring for snaps behind Frank Clark and Karlaftis. Of course, the Chiefs could still sign a veteran defensive end after losing Melvin Ingram as well, which would add even more of a challenge for Kaindoh.
Either way, this is obviously an encouraging sign. Every NFL prospect has talent, but work ethic is what separates the good from the great and the success stories from the busts.
Between Miller and Smith, you have 174 career sacks. That doesn’t just take skill, it takes dedication and hard work. These athletes worked diligently on their craft and their conditioning and the results show that.
As for Karlaftis and Kaindoh, both will start back at square one in 2022 — despite the differences in their backstories. It will be interesting to see if anything they’ve learned at the summit rubs off on their game in training camp.