Dallas Cowboys: Is the hype around K’Lavon Chaisson real?
With only a day left before the start of the 2020 NFL Draft, is the K’Lavon Chaisson to the Dallas Cowboys hype actually real?
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow to the Cincinnati Bengals with the first selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young to the Washington Redskins at No. 2. Buckeye’s cornerback Jeffrey Okudah to the Detroit Lions third overall. These are all players that have been heavily linked to those respective teams leading up to the draft.
Fast forward to the 17th overall pick in the first round, the Dallas Cowboys have been heavily linked to LSU pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson. Is the hype around Dallas selecting him with their top pick real or fake?
It seemed like for the longest time, the Cowboys were linked to drafting a safety in the first round. That suddenly changed to a safety or a cornerback. Now, seemingly all of a sudden, it is impossible to ignore the noise of Chaisson going to Dallas.
The sudden shift may be a result of the Cowboys interviewing the prospect and potentially loving what they heard. The defensive line is something that many people believe needs to be addressed, regardless of the many additions made already.
Regarding what the Cowboys added this offseason, they are more of short-term solutions. Defensive linemen Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe could be good players for the next two seasons, but will likely be questionable beyond that.
Another lineman in All-Pro pass rusher Aldon Smith is a risky pickup considering he last played in 2015. First, he must be reinstated. Then, get back into NFL form. And, from there, hopefully he’ll return to Pro Bowl form. There is a lot to hope for here.
This then looks like an investment for the future. Have someone that can split reps with veteran lineman Tyrone Crawford and ease into the NFL. Considering Chaisson is a raw prospect, it seems he is a higher risk yet higher reward prospect.
His speed rush style of play is similar to how former Cowboy Robert Quinn plays, so that may be a good fit. The 20-year-old has the advantage of being very young and athletic with a good football IQ.
If the Cowboys were to draft Chaisson, I would look at it as a long-term investment. The players to start now are there, and he can sit back and learn from them while getting some opportunities here and there.
What I hope wouldn’t happen is that the Cowboys coaching staff chose to stash Chaisson on the bench for a bit and they don’t give him a real opportunity. This would be a similar situation to that of their 2017 first-round pick Taco Charlton, who’s no longer on the team. Let’s pray this does not happen again.
The other thing to keep in mind is that there may be other prospects available that could be too good to pass up on. Some of them may be Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson, Alabama safety Xavier McKinney, or even LSU safety Grant Delpit. These three prospects would be able to help the team immediately and in the long run.
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In the end, I don’t think the noise surrounding Chaisson is entirely true. Especially considering the fact some draft analysts think of him as the fourth-best pass rusher in this class.
Instead, the noise could be a smokescreen in an attempt to force another intriguing prospect to fall to them or to entice a team to trade up. Either way, I don’t believe K’Lavon Chaisson is the focus for the Dallas Cowboys at pick 17. That’s my opinion, what’s yours? Tell me in the comment section below.