Former Jaguars' Top Pick K'Lavon Chaisson Weighs In On Facing Old Team

K'Lavon Chaisson spent four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now, the Las Vegas Raiders pass-rusher will face his former team for the first time.

Dec 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson (44) prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Former Jacksonville Jaguars top pick K'Lavon Chaisson knows the Jaguars are the enemy when they take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, but the ex-Jaguar holds no ill will toward the team that took him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

"It is a true amount of respect for the guys over there, both front office and the players. Got great friends that I still talk to until this day, phenomenal players that I truly believe in," Chaisson told the Las Vegas media this week. "They are not having the season they expected, but with the talent they have over there, things can get turned around quickly."

Chaisson was drafted in 2020 with the hopes of being able to replace Yannick Ngakoue in the pass-rush rotation across from Josh Hines-Allen. But two years later, the Jaguars took another pass-rusher at No. 1 overall to take the starting role.

After four years with the Jaguars, Chaisson has blossomed into a versatile and disruptive edge presence for the Raiders. And while it may not have happened exactly as he envisioned, he has carved out his role in this league.

"A lot of things play into factor for sure, internal and external factors," Chaisson said.

"But definitely obviously maturity plays a huge factor into it. When you come into the league wide-eyed, wet behind the ears with somewhat success in the level before, things sometimes that you feel like should carry over to the next level don't really translate that you feel like should or that you expected to be. There is a lot of things that play into it, but obivously being dialed in, just kind of staying true to the course and believing everything that you worked for will workout in your favor.

Chaisson was the Jaguars' first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, being selected with the No. 20 pick. Chaisson was one of two players the Jaguars drafted with first-round picks from the Jalen Ramsey trade, alongside running back Travis Etienne.

In four years with the Jaguars, Chaisson started 11 games and appeared in 57. He recorded five sacks, which included a career-high two sacks in 2023. Across four seasons, he also recorded 73 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 23 quarterback hits, and two pass deflections.

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