Chauncey Golston NFL Draft Overview
Position: Edge Defender
Height: 6’-5”
Weight: 270 pounds
School: Iowa
Chauncey Golston Draft Profile
Golston has been flying under the radar as a prospect despite enjoying a productive college career with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Golston consistently improved year after year at Iowa and leaves college with a lot of snaps under his belt as a red-shirt senior. The defensive lineman could prove to be a good value pick for a team looking to add depth to the front seven in the draft.
Ranked a three-star recruit out of East English Village Prep, Michigan, Golston had an extremely productive high school career. Both Pittsburgh and Minnesota showed interest, however only Iowa offered Golston a full scholarship. He has repaid the faith the Hawkeyes showed in him with production, work ethic, and leadership skills. It’s worth noting Golston was a team captain at Iowa in his final two years.
After red-shirting his first season in college, Golston was worked into the lineup slowly. The consensus in the media was Golston needed to bulk up and he only appeared in two games as a redshirt freshman in 2017. However, since then Golston has added 40 pounds and earned playing time over his final three years. A fixture along the defensive line, Golston’s best season came as a senior. He recorded six sacks in just eight games in Big Ten play. Golston also has three career interceptions to his name throughout his college career.
Strengths:
- Versatile – lined up on the edge and inside for Iowa, even dropped back into coverage on occasion;
- Leader – team captain for two seasons;
- Grown man strength – rarely pushed around in the trenches, can stack blockers;
- Showed off his power rush at the Senior Bowl – uses his strength;
- Enormous wingspan – wraps up tacklers, can use his length well.
Weaknesses:
- Overly reliant on his strength to win – doesn’t seem to have a backup plan;
- Doesn’t use his hands efficiently – stacks blockers and doesn’t release;
- Kick-out blocks sweep him out of the play;
- Heavy-footed – doesn’t change direction quickly;
- General lack of speed to play on the edge at the pro level.
NFL Comparison: Derek Wolfe
Wolfe at this point of his career is a run game specialist and that’s ultimately how Golston should develop if he’s to have a long pro career. Wolfe lacks general speed at the position but can move around the defensive line and mainly uses his strength to win his matchup against the run. However, over time Wolfe has developed his pass rush and can be productive on third downs. Golston will have to add some size to consistently play against the run but this is how he has to develop to stay in the league.
Teams With Need at Position: Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings.
Projection: Fifth Round
Bottom Line on Chauncey Golston:
Golston has a decision to make if he is to have a successful career at the pro level. He hasn’t showcased the speed and agility required to play on the edge in the NFL as a pass rusher which limits his draft stock. There are limitations to his pass-rush ability as he relies heavily on his strength to overpower blockers. That won’t consistently work in the NFL at his current size.
However, Golston is experienced and enters the league having played all along the defensive line at Iowa. If he were to bulk up and add even more size to his frame he could have a successful career on the inside of a defensive front and on the edge as a run stuffer. He plays well against the run in one-on-one matchups, stacks blockers, and allows his linebackers to run free. In the right scheme with correct usage, Golston could add valuable depth to a defensive line.
Games are won and lost in the trenches more often than not. Thus making the experience of Golston valuable as someone who could pick up the pro game quicker than many drafted underclassmen. He should be drafted with the role of early-down run-stuffer in mind but there’s room to grow. With more size and coaching up on how to use his hands to win more efficiently, he could even develop into a disruptive pass rusher up the middle.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
