LSU edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson calls himself NFL draft's most valuable player

INDIANAPOLIS — LSU outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson will bring plenty of edge to whichever team drafts him.

Chaisson isn’t rated as high in this draft as some other edge rushers, namely Ohio State’s Chase Young or Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa, but he wasn’t shy about believing he will be the best pro of the bunch.

“I’m actually the most valuable player in the draft. We all know that,” Chaisson said Thursday at the NFL Combine. “When you hire somebody, do you want to hire someone who speaks one language or do want to hire somebody who speaks three languages? I speak three languages: I do pass rush, I can drop into coverage and cover anybody you want me to cover and I can play the run. No offensive lineman has ever just moved me off the ball.

“That’s what makes me more dimensional and a better valuable player than anyone else in this draft.”

The Jets and Giants need versatile players who can do a little of everything, and Chaisson met with both teams this week. The Jets probably will target an offensive lineman with the No. 11 pick. But if the big four tackles —Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills, Mekhi Becton and Andrew Thomas — are gone, the Jets instead could look to address their need for a playmaking outside linebacker.

Chaisson is a physical specimen at 6-3, 254 pounds, and he certainly rebounded well after suffering a torn ACL as a sophomore. He continued to get better as his junior season wore on and played his best football late in the year, helping the Tigers win the national championship. Chaisson had six tackles and two sacks in LSU’s victory over Oklahoma in the national semifinal.

But Chaisson believes he’s just scratching the surface of what he can be, and that he will continue to rise with more coaching.

“Everything that I’ve done so far has just been raw talent in my eyes,” he said. “I’ve had some coaching, but from a scale of one to 10, I’m probably like a three right now. There’s so much more I can get better in, man. I feel like I’ve gotten this far on raw talent and the skill set. When it comes to the coaching and the veterans teaching me the game, I feel like there’s no ceiling to my game.”

As skilled, driven and confident as Chaisson is, his sack numbers don’t jump out at you. He finished his college career with 9 1/2 sacks in 24 games. But his message to anyone questioning his speed off the line or power is to just watch the film and see how he impacts a game.

“Anything you want to ask is on the tape,” Chaisson said. “I just feel like everything that you want to know is on there. I’m not going to try to persuade you to think anything different. There’s many areas I can get better in. I’m not going to ever say I’m the best. I’m always looking to improve at something.

“Watch the film. Don’t let sacks fool you. Every game my impact is being felt. I tell guys this all the time: I’m not just a pass rusher. I play the run. I handle 350-pound linemen, I play in coverage, I’m chasing down plays. I’m an all-around player. Even if I’m not getting sacks, my pressures and hurries and I’m always in the quarterback face. Any offensive line I ever went against will tell you they felt my presence. So I’m not really worried about the production.”

By now, Jets fans probably are having a Leonard Williams flashback. Similar things were said about him throughout his Jets career, but he had eight sacks in his last 48 games as a Jet before being traded to the Giants last season.

But Chaisson brought up another LSU product, Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, who totaled 4 1/2 sacks in college. Hunter has had 29 in the past two seasons.

‘It just shows you the production don’t mean anything,” Chaisson said. “The skill set, the mindset, the work ethic that you give that can transition to the next level can do you very well.”