FOXBORO — Eight weeks into the season, it appears the Patriots got one of the steals of free agency in outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson.
Chaisson has already taken home some hardware this season after winning AFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 7, when he registered two sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Chaisson signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Patriots in March and has emerged as a starter and impact maker on the edge.
The 2020 first-round pick has 4.5 sacks, 13 tackles, five tackles for loss and eight QB hits in seven games. He currently ranks 16th out of all NFL edge defenders with 29 total pressures and 14th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity metric.
He could be counted on even more in upcoming weeks after the Patriots traded away Keion White to the 49ers.
Chaisson didn’t live up to his first-round billing through four seasons with the Jaguars and one with the Raiders. The 20th overall pick has already tied his career high in total pressures and is just one sack shy of setting a new personal best.
Get to know Chaisson, who’s known for his trash talk, better on and off the field in the latest installment of our new Patriots Q&A segment.
#### Q: First football memory?
I scored a 40-yard touchdown on a fullback dive on my little league team, the Falcons. I forgot the city name, but it was the Falcons. I scored a touchdown. I was dope on that.
#### Q: How old were you?
Shoot, what was that, like 8?
#### Q: Top high school football memory?
Probably my state championship (at North Shore High School in Galena Park, Texas). I made the game-winning play to win the state championship my junior year. That was pretty dope.
#### Q: What was the play?
They tried to do a reverse pass. I sniffed it out, got a TFL for the fumble. Game over.
#### Q: What was your top college football memory?
National Championship. Can’t get better than that.
(At this point Chaisson started talking trash to Patriots outside linebacker and Alabama alum Anfernee Jennings.)
Oh, I’m sorry, Anfernee, damn. I wish you knew what a state championship and national championship felt like.
(Alabama won two national championships during Jennings’ college career.)
#### Q: What made LSU so special?
Because we got better players than (Alabama). Majority of everything that we did, it was just because we were better than ‘Bama. So when we beat ‘Bama, we beat the (expletive) out of ‘Bama. Did I mention that we beat the (expletive) out of ‘Bama?
(LSU beat Alabama one time in 2019 during Chaisson’s three-year college career. That was the season LSU won the national championship.)
#### Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a football player?
Probably coaching against Alabama, just letting them know that they can’t beat anybody from LSU, whether it’s football, basketball, soccer, golf.
#### Q: Who was your favorite athlete growing up?
It was Tracy McGrady and Andre Johnson.
#### Q: Favorite movie?
“The Wood.”
#### Q: Favorite musical artist?
Let’s go Young Thug.
#### Q: Who have you been closest with on the team so far?
Anfernee, mother freaking Jennings, man. My guy. That’s my brother, bro.
#### Q: Who’s the funniest player on the team?
Bradyn Swinson. He’s not around. That’s a funny guy.
#### Q: What have you liked the most about the New England region so far?
Pretty dope people. Obviously, the winning culture that it provides. I’m all for it.
#### Q: Is there a player across the league that you think is underrated or underappreciated?
K’Lavon Chaisson.
#### Q: Do you have a hidden talent?
Oh, that’s a great one. I think I’m really good at word searches. I can find word searches at a very fast pace.
#### Q: Last one — is there a topic you know more about than anyone else?
Shoes. I got a good sneaker collection. I know a lot about shoes.