K'Lavon

Chaisson

A two-year starting outside linebacker who was awarded the Tigers’ No. 18 jersey as a player who “does all the right things” prior to the team’s National Championship run, Chaisson (6’3/254) bounced back from a torn ACL in his left knee in 2018 to finish with personal bests in tackles (55), tackles for loss (13), and sacks (6.5), taking home the College Football Playoff semifinals DPoG award for his six-tackle, two-sack performance against the Sooners. He projects as a stand-up speed rusher likely to win with an elite bend and burst off the edge — similar skills he leveraged against first-round prospects Georgia OT Andrew Thomas and Texas LT Samuel Cosmi last year — at the next level. Chaisson needs development in his technique, particularly with double moves, but he offers Pro Bowl upside as a developing 21-year-old in his rookie season.

The EDGE position in this year’s draft class is chock full of top-end talent, and Chaisson (6'4/254) is one of those players. He doesn’t lack for confidence either, as he made note of his versatility during an interview with CBS Sports HQ. "[Do] you want a person who speaks one language, or one who speaks three languages? And I’m definitely a person who speaks three or four languages,” Chaisson said. “I feel I’m great in a lot of aspects of this game. Obviously there’s always room for improvement, but I can rush the passer, I can play coverage, I can play the run.” Chaisson doesn’t lack for athleticism, but there have been some questions asked regarding his ability to play against powerful offensive linemen. There will also be some medical questions to answer, as he missed all of 2018 with a torn ACL and two games last season due to an ankle injury. Chaisson will be a Day 1 selection, with the question being how high will he go.

On the field, Smith was a force. A tall, lean pass-rusher, Smith did his best as a pure speed-rusher getting right around the edge, though he did not have much counter play beyond that. Chaisson, as Zierlein points out, is very similar. Chaisson (6'4/250) does well to bend around the edge and has an explosive jump off the line, but it’s tough to find examples of Chaisson using counter moves, bull rushes, etc. That said, Chaisson is an athletic ball of clay that every DL coach should want to get their hands on.

“LSU coaches have been telling me for two years that he was a future Top 15 pick, and that seems to be legit,” Miller writes of the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Chaisson. The analyst pegs his range from the No. 11 pick (owned by the Jets) to the No. 15 pick (owned by the Broncos). In his mock draft released on Monday, Miller slotted the LSU standout to the Falcons at No. 16 -- a touch past the above prescribed range, but we won’t quibble.

The Tigers had best savor their title, as the team will need to replace a number of pieces -- both on staff and on roster -- if they are to put up a legitimate defense come the fall. Chaisson (6'4/225) is the latest to say so long. Chaisson turned in 60 tackles (13.5 for loss), 6.5 sacks and two passes defended across 13 games played for the past campaign. With a strong evaluation season, we could see Chaisson coming off the board on Day 1 this spring. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller ranks Chaisson as his No. 31 draft-eligible prospect in the prospective 2020 class.

Chaisson (6'4/225) has been limited by a lower body issue for a couple weeks, as he suffered the injury during LSU’s win at Texas back on September 7. While LSU will certainly have tough battles in the SEC to attend to down the line, Saturday’s matchup with Utah State could be a tricky one due to the presence of USU’s star QB Jordan Love. Having a healthy Chaisson on the field would certainly be a positive development for Ed Orgeron’s Tigers.

Chaisson went down with a seemingly minor lower-body injury against Texas on Sept. 7. As a result, Chaisson (6'4/25) was listed as questionable and ultimately sat out last Saturday’s game against Northwestern State. Being held out of that game may have just been precautionary because LSU didn’t really need him to beat an FCS team, but now that Chaisson missed Monday’s practice, it’s worth wondering how serious his injury actually is. Hopefully Chaisson can get back to practice later this week and play against Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Chaisson (6'4/250) was seen wearing a walking boot on Monday, according to Brooks Kubena of the Baton Rouge Advocate. While the redshirt sophomore is questionable for Saturday, defensive tackles Glen Logan and Rashard Lawrence have already been ruled out. This seems like a good opportunity for HC Ed Orgeron to get some of his key players extra rest before the Tigers begin SEC play.

Chaisson (6'4/250), who was one of the standouts in LSU’s first two days of practice last week, has not taken the field since August 3 due to a nagging health issue. He’s one of three key defenders who have missed practice time this week, as CB Kristian Fulton has also been out since last Saturday and S Grant Delpit missed his fourth straight on Friday. However HC Ed Orgeron didn’t sound too concerned, saying after Friday’s practice that the trio isn’t dealing with anything that’s “going to keep somebody out too long.”

Chaisson (6'4/250) has been tabbed as a breakout candidate for the Tigers this season by some pundits, and thus far he’s done little to prove those people wrong. After receiving the honor of wearing the No. 18 before fall camp began, the redshirt sophomore has been one of the standouts in LSU’s first two practices. According to Wilson Alexander of The Advocate, Chaisson led the outside linebackers in individual drills both days, and he’s looked healthy after suffering a torn ACL in the 2018 season-opener against Miami.