Ranking the Jacksonville Jaguars last 5 first-round picks

3. Jaguars 1st round pick in 2020, 20th overall – K’Lavon Chaisson, DE.

Even though the Jaguars had a stout defensive front at the time, they still chose edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson 20th overall in the 2020 draft. On paper, Jacksonville had a formidable front seven, composed of Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, and Josh Allen, who was coming off a Pro Bowl campaign.

However, the Jags traded Campbell and Ngakoue before the start of the 2020 season and pushed Chaisson to the starting lineup. There are several reasons why this decision was counterproductive. Chaisson was a raw yet talented prospect coming into the NFL and the Jags moved him to defensive end after playing outside linebacker at LSU. The former Tiger ended up struggling early in the season but finished strong, posting 21 pressures in the last seven games.

With a new coaching staff in place last season, Chaisson got a fresh start and was switched to strong linebacker, where he was supposed to flourish. He did have more tackles in 2021 than he did in his rookie campaign but he wasn’t responsible for any big plays. You could argue that the coaching staff might have misused him but he didn’t always give his best effort, so he should shoulder a good chunk of the blame for his lack of impact.

There’s a new coaching staff in Jacksonville and if the third time is really the charm, Chaisson will have a clean slate. Nevertheless, he’s running out of chances to show he should be a part of the Jags’ long-term future. Maybe he will flourish under defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell but if he struggles early, he could find himself on the trade block, especially after the addition of Arden Key and the potential selection of Aidan Hutchinson.