2020 NFL Draft: 5 players 49ers could take in Round 1

K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU

On the surface, the 49ers addressing the edge rusher position a year after trading for Dee Ford and selecting Nick Bosa second overall appears unlikely.

Yet the Niners could get out Ford’s contract next offseason at the cost of just $4.8million in dead cap, according to Spotrac.

San Francisco may be reluctant to pay Ford for the duration of his five-year contract given his injury history. Chaisson fits the bill as hits potential successor.

Like Ford, Chaisson relies heavily on his speed to create disruption and he excelled at getting into the backfield on stunts during LSU’s run to the National Championship in 2019.

Production is the big question surrounding Chaisson, who had only 6.5 sacks last year, though he did rack up 13.5 tackles for loss.

Still, by using Chaisson as a situational pass rusher, the 49ers could take some of the burden off Bosa and Ford while grooming him to eventually take over from the latter on the edge.

If the Niners do not believe they can address one of their primary needs by the time they are on the clock at number 13, then Chaisson stands out as another potential selection in a trade back.

The sack numbers may not have been there for Chaisson in college, but there is arguably no better defense on which he can consistently harness the level of performance he demonstrated down the stretch for LSU.