Chauncey Golston

Scouting Notes: Chauncey Golston, EDGE, Iowa

Redshirt Senior | 6’5″ 255 lbs | Detroit, Michigan | February 10, 1998

 

A powerful and lengthy pass rusher that lacks a deep bag of moves, outstanding athleticism and the effort to be an impact player at the next level

 

Overview:

Golston is a former 3-star recruit from Detroit, Michigan who chose to attend Iowa where he would subsequently redshirt his freshman year. As a redshirt freshman he saw time in nine games but was only able to record two tackles. However, within his next two seasons he would produce at a high level, stuffing the stat sheet across the board. As a Hawkeye, he mostly plays base 4-3 left end but also has seen time standing up as a 7t as well as down as a 3t.

Strengths:

– Stunts with the required first step and short-area agility
– Has showcased a couple moves that are extremely effective. His bull rush is his go to, but a few other one off moves that worked well
– Demonstrates solid bend considering his lack of athleticism and uncorrelated play style
– Initial punch posses power to knock back and stun the biggest tackles
– Wraps up with the proper strength and technique
– Demonstrates solid awareness, was able to sniff out screens and similar plays quickly to his side of the field
– Offers solid versatility. Above average play strength allows him to play inside
– Able to convert power to speed, albeit average speed, in an instant
– Often attempts to get his hands up in order to swat down passes

Areas to improve:

– Closing speed, first step burst and open space ability are just average due to rather lackluster athleticism
– Motor is extremely poor. Will take plays off when not involved and even when involved will consistently give minimal effort
– Lacks the willingness, hand placement and hand usage at the POA to disengage blocks, hurting his team in the run game
– Has little to no pass rush plan. Other than winning with length, power or an occasional random move here and there he has shown no consistency of winning pass reps

Injury concerns:

N/A

Projection:

Golston is listed by most at 255 pounds, but plays closer to the 270 Iowa have him listed as. This is important since his game is very power and strength reliant, especially since he plays that “tweener” position that can play on the edge as well as inside. Regardless, his home will be inside at the next level to maximize his skillset. He definitely projects better with his hand in the ground but has the versatility to play in an even or odd front at 3t which he has seen time at or even a 5t. Staying closer to that 270 lbs weight would definitely help his stoke but otherwise he looks to be a late Day 3 pick.

What to watch in 2020:

First a foremost, Golston needs to rush with a plan. His repertoire needs to progress past winning solely with his length and power but rather savvy moves and counters. He has showcased very rarely a solid rip move among others but has failed to do so on a consistent level. As well as improvement in the pass game, he needs to be more stout and have better hand placement/usage to disengage blocks in the run game. Coupled with this he simply does not demonstrate the necessary effort on each down outside the first 2 seconds or so to be a truly impactful player. His laziness dilutes the talent he does have and improving upon this is extremely vital as not playing through the whistle will make his NFL career short lived.