After a promising freshman season there were high expectations for K’Lavon Chaisson entering his first year as a starter. But at the end of their first game against Miami Chaisson went down with an ACL injury that cost him his entire year. Now back to 100% Chaisson is looking to establish himself as one of the top pass rushers in college football. K’Lavon Chaisson is also NFL Draft eligible and begun to get generate some buzz, here we’ll take a look at those traits and what he can improve on while also looking at his NFL Draft potential.
Chaisson’s Strengths
Physically speaking there isn’t much to dislike about K’Lavon Chaisson. At 6’4 250lbs he has the bulk and power to go along with his movement skills. Normally players at Chaisson’s size don’t move as well as he does but the LSU pass rusher is a fluid and explosive mover. As a pass rusher Chaisson is able to burst off the line and speed to attack the edge while also having the lateral agility to loop inside and get into the face of the quarterback.
In the LSU scheme Chaisson is asked to drop into coverage an even line up over slot receivers. Chaisson looks very comfortable in space flowing in zone coverage while also showing the burst and change of direction skills to react to receivers coming into his area to cover them up.
Against the run Chaisson can use his length well to take on blockers and use leverage to set the edge or hold the of attack. From there he’s also able to use his athletic ability to get off blocks and go attack the ball.
Areas of Improvement
While Chaisson is ultra talented he relies far too much on his physical traits to try and win. This is no more evident than rushing the passer where he struggles to get pressure if he doesn’t win right away and lacks the pass rushing moves to counter. While wanting to see how Chaisson does recovering from his ACL will be one thing I’m watching this season, the next is if he can develop a go to pass rushing move. If Chaisson is able to develop a go to move and then a counter off of it he can be unstoppable.
K’Lavon Chaisson NFL Draft Outlook
Both on the field and off there is so much to like about Chaisson. Off the field for the 2019 season he will be wearing the coveted #18 jersey which is given to the top leaders within the LSU program. On the field Chaisson has all the raw talent to thrive in the NFL and be a feared pass rusher. But if he wants to get there he has to show an improvement with his pass rushing skill because athletic talent can only take you so far in the NFL. He’ll likely be a first round pick because of his traits, but if he can get the mental and skilled part of the game down, there is no doubt in my mind he can be a top 10 pick whenever he enters the NFL Draft.
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