ARDEN KEY
Position: Edge rusher
College: Louisiana State
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 238 pounds
Selection: Third round (No. 87 overall)
Scouting report: Many consider the former Tiger a first-round talent who dropped in the draft due to a significant amount of baggage. He has had substance abuse problems in the past, and had injury issues in his college career’s second half. The Raiders have done their homework on all that, and will try to set up a support system to help him realize cast potential as a pass rusher and a run defender.
Projected role: The Raiders need depth off the edge behind Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin, and have for several seasons. Key has the raw talent to get after the passer right away as a rotational piece, especially in sub packages which could spell the end of some back-end rushers who don’t perform well this offseason. All of that, however, is contingent on Key staying out of trouble and at a proper weight, issues that have plagued him in the past.
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Quotable: “I’m not the guy the media portrays me to be. (In terms of) on-the-field stuff, there’s no question. Football is not the question. Everybody knows that, talent-wise, I’m a top five pick. Automatic."
-- Arden Key, on what he wants to prove during his rookie year.
Quotable: “He has had some difficult times in his young life. I know what he’s been through in his career. We’ve done a lot of research on him. He has a lot to prove but, at the end of the third round, he’s a gamble worth taking. He has some qualities that are rare. He is a very good kid. This is a young person who needs some help right now, and we’re going to help him.”
-- Jon Gruden, on why he selected Key despite off-field issues