Jaguars EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson named most intriguing project player

Being a first-round pick comes with a certain set of expectations. Things weren’t any different for EDGE rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, whom the Jacksonville Jaguars selected with the 20th overall selection in last year’s draft. He was a non-factor early in his rookie campaign but showed promises towards the end of the season. For that reason, the LSU product recently popped up in an interesting list.

Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report recently wrote about every NFL team’s most intriguing project ahead of the 2021 season and Chaisson was the pick for the Jaguars. Gagnon describes the former Tiger’s first year in the pros as quiet even though he appeared in every game. He notes that 2020 first-round pick logged just one sack and nine quarterback hits on 568 snaps and believes he will have to compete for playing time in his second season.

Gagnon points out that Chaisson finished the 2020 season strong and adds that he’s just 21 years old. He thinks that even if he comes along slowly, it’s too early to call him a bust, as he has plenty of upside.

K’Lavon Chaisson is poised to have a big role with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Chaisson was trending up at the end of the 2020 season, posting 21 pressures in the last seven games. He recently attended Denver Broncos EDGE defender Von Miller’s pass rush summit in order to sharpen his skills. Also, he will be making the transition to strong linebacker in defensive coordinator Joe Cullen’s defense. In his new role, he should be in a better position to make plays. Also, the return of Josh Allen, the team’s best pass rusher, will help.

Last season, a knee injury limited the Kentucky product to eight games. Now healthy, he should give the Jags’ pass rush a boost. Gagnon suggests that Chaisson will have to compete for snaps but the truth is that the team’s brass expects him to have a big role in 2021 in spite of the addition of Jihad Ward and Roy Robertson-Harris this offseason. After all, they all will likely have different roles in Cullen’s scheme.

The Jaguars’ defensive coordinator believes the defense can double their sack totals from 2020 this upcoming season. For that to happen, they will need Allen to stay healthy and Chaisson to make a big leap in production. If you think about it, it’s pretty reasonable, so don’t be surprised if Jacksonville’s pass-rush duo combine for 20 sacks in 2021.