Jaguars DC Todd Wash on K'Lavon Chaisson: 'You Are Seeing Development'

K'Lavon Chaisson is improving as the season progresses, a positive development for a Jaguars staff that knew it would take some time.

Despite the Jacksonville Jaguars investing a first-round pick in defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson, they knew it would be some time before he was making plays at a consistent rate. That isn't the type of pick fans would likely advocate for, but it is the same truth for most draft picks outside a handful of pro-ready players each year. 

The key for both the team and the player in these scenarios is to make the patience pay off. And while Chaisson can not yet be crowned as a player who has done so and given the Jaguars a solid return on investment, the Jaguars are finally seeing him take a step in the right direction on the field. 

"Yeah, like we’ve said, we knew when we drafted him that it was going to be a work in progress," Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash said Thursday when asked about Chaisson's recent growth. "And he comes into the building and works and studies. He’s a real joy to be around, I really have, obviously, grown very fond of K.C. as an individual and as a player. 

"So, you’re seeing development with him and the same thing, give credit to Rebs [Jason Rebrovich] and [Dwayne] Stukes, and those guys, for continuing to work with him and seeing his development. I think, once again, he’s going to be a player that’s going to make a lot of impactful plays in the future.”

Chaisson hasn't registered a sack since Week 2 and has just the lone sack on the season, but the No. 20 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has begun to flash consistently for the Jaguars. 

Through his first 11 games, he had 10 pressures as a pass-rusher, per Pro Football Focus. In the last two? He has eight, with five coming in Week 13 against the Vikings and another three coming in Week 14 against the Titans. 

Before this stretch, Chaisson didn't have a game in which he recorded more than two pressures. He has picked up his game considerably -- even if it has taken him longer than fans, coaches, and even himself likely would have liked. 

#Jaguars DE K'Lavon Chaisson gave Titans LT David Quessenberry some trouble Sunday pic.twitter.com/sPFJ9Sq0Da

— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) December 15, 2020

But, Wash would note, pass-rusher is a tough position to transition to from college to the pro level. Considering Chaisson had limited reps and production in college due to his age and an ACL injury in 2018, perhaps the expectations for his rookie year should have been much lower.

"Yeah, there’s no doubt and there’s usually a direct correlation. If they’ve had a lot of success and a lot of numbers in college, there’s usually—you’re going to have some good numbers in the NFL," Wash said.

"But we knew he had the skill set, he didn’t have a lot of great numbers in college, but we knew he had the skill set and I think that’s going to continue to develop. But it’s tough to go from college to the NFL and be an elite rusher your first year. People do do it, but it’s not very common.”

Of course, eight pressures over two weeks isn't cause for jubilant celebration. You see other first-round pass rushers do similar to that in a single game. But for Chaisson, it is at least evidence that he is improving after a three-month stretch in which it looked like the Jaguars potentially made a troubling decision in the first round.

Chaisson still has a long way to go before he proves he was worth the No. 20 pick, but the momentum has at least shifted in his favor for the first time. His Week 14 performance showed Week 13 wasn't a fluke; now it is up to him to continue to develop his moves and not get bogged down like he was earlier this season.

Among those moves he will have to continue to hone in on? A spin move he displayed vs. the Titans that clearly made Wash a happy coach.

“You know it’s funny, he did it at practice I think it was on Tuesday that week, or no, excuse me, Wednesday. And I was like, ‘Well hey, you’re finally coming out and you’re changing things up a little bit.’ But that’s all K.C., he had that move in college, but he kept staying with the same move over and over for the first ten weeks, and now he’s bringing something out of his toolbox," Wash said. 

"So, once again, it’s a credit to him. He’s trying new things to be the best player he can be.”