Jaguars draft bust blows second chance almost immediately

The Jacksonville Jaguars are no stranger to first-round draft busts, but one of the stranger failures in the last few seasons has to be former LSU star pass rusher K'Lavon Chaisson. On paper, he has the speed and raw athletic talent needed to become a first-rate stud in the pros.

Picked 20th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, Jacksonville was willing to overlook the fact he only mustered 9.5 sacks in three collegiate seasons. His bend around the edge and potential could have made him a star. Instead, he failed to take that next step despite the Jags trying everything in existence to get him to work.

Needless to say, he continued to struggle, making Chaisson one of the worst picks in Jaguars history. The Carolina Panthers gave him one last chance to redeem himself, but they have also seen that Chaisson is never going to figure it out in the pros.

The Panthers released Chaisson just days before their season opener and Chaisson's planned rebirth in a new city. The Jaguars may not have developed him perfectly, but this shows that even in a new environment, Chaisson just didn't have the tools needed to succeed in the NFL.

Former Jaguars bust K'Lavon Chaisson cut by lowly Panthers

In 57 games spread over four seasons, Chaisson managed just five sacks in four years and never managed to tally more than two in any given season. Only once did he top 20 tackles, which happened to be the Urban Meyer nightmare year this fanbase wants to keep buried.

The NFL revealed that Chaisson's success at LSU was due to him playing a very specific role in a very specific scheme. When he needed to improvise outside of that, he found it very difficult to win consistently. Jacksonville mercifully gave up after 2023, and the Panthers bought a lottery ticket.

What makes this sting even more for Chaisson is the situation he is being released from. Carolina won just two games last season and is generally agreed to have one of the worst collections of defensive linemen and pass rushers in the league after trading Brian Burns. Chaisson couldn't even make that club, which speaks volumes.

The Jaguars had big plans for a pass rush tandem of him and Josh Hines-Allen leading them into the future. Hines-Allen managed 45 sacks in five years while earning a giant new contract, but Chaisson was unable to make the worst team in the league's biggest area of need. What a fall from grace.