K’Lavon Chaisson says Jags’ decision to draft Travon Walker ‘lit a fire’ under him
One of the issues that have hurt the Jacksonville Jaguars is the fact that they’ve missed on many recent draft picks. Examples of this include Taven Bryan, Dante Fowler, and C.J. Henderson (which wasn’t necessarily talent-related), to name a few.
Another player who Jags fans feel could make the list of first-round busts soon is K’Lavon Chaisson, who will be entering his third season in 2022. Chaisson has struggled to make an impact after the team took him with the No. 20 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft in hopes that he’d bolster the pass rush.
Since entering the league, it simply hasn’t clicked for the former Louisiana State Tiger. In his first two seasons, he’s only registered 11starts in 31 games played, 50 tackles, and two sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, he registered an overall grade of 49.6 as a rookie and a 47.0 last season. That’s simply not where he and the team envisioned him being as a former first- round pick at this point.
Chaisson’s struggles have come as the Jags have endured many changes, and the general manager who drafted him, Dave Caldwell, was fired after the 2020 season. The man who replaced Caldwell, Trent Baalke, took another pass-rusher, Travon Walker, in the first round this April, and as a result, many have questioned how the Jags’ current regime feels about Chaisson.
However, the decision has already been made and there is no undoing it. That said, instead of letting it impact him in the wrong way, Chaisson says he’s allowing the Jags’ decision to add competition fuel him.
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t motivate me,” Chaisson said to The Associated Press this week. “Of course, it did. It lit a fire under me. If there wasn’t big enough motivation, it’s 10 times as big now.
“I love it, though. I would never shy away from any competition. I applaud all of it. And, honestly, it makes the team better.”
During Chaisson’s first two seasons, the Jags accumulated the worst record in the league both times and earned the No. 1 pick back-to-back as a result. When that typically happens, teams like to use those picks on the top positions in football, which are the quarterback and defensive end/ outside linebacker spots. In 2021, the Jags took quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but earning the top pick in 2022 proved to be one that made things uncertain for Chaisson as the Jags selected Walker.
The Jags haven’t done Chaisson any favors, either, with the constant changes, though. In Chaisson’s first year, he played in Todd Wash’s 4-3 scheme, which wasn’t the best fit. Then last season, Chaisson played for a new defensive coordinator in Joe Cullen, who utilized a 3-4 scheme, something that many felt Chaisson was better suited for. Now, he’ll be enduring a third change as the Jags named a new staff under Doug Pederson.
“It’s not ideal, but the game is all about adapting to situations,” he said of all the changes made by the Jags. “I’m happy, just so blessed to even be here. I don’t ever really make it a big deal, just go in with an adjusted mindset and get it done.”
One thing that could help Chaisson is that many seem high on the Jags’ new defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, who is coming from a superb staff in Tampa. They’ve been able to develop young talent throughout Caldwell’s time there, with young notables like Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Devin White all playing at a high level currently, to name a few. Maybe Caldwell can bring some of the developmental skills he saw utilized in Tampa to Jacksonville, and if he’s successful Chaisson would have someone by his side that’s finally able to help him make a jump.
