Every NFL team covets an athletic pass rusher.
In terms of athleticism, Arden Key has as much as anyone in this years draft. His athleticism is raw but with the potential to soar through the roof.
Watching Arden Key in his 3 years at LSU, he shows a kind of burst and power off the edge that is rare to come by. A lot of times in college he would shoot off the line so fast that the offensive lineman would blink and he would already have sacked the quarterback. In his three years as a Tiger, he accumulated 24.5 tackles for loss and 20 sacks, with his best season being 2016.
Key’s NFL level burst off the edge and ideal size is what has many NFL scouts drooling over, but he is not a player without flaws. In fact, he has quite a few.
The Chiefs have been known to give players with question marks a chance on the team (i.e. Marcus Peters and Tyreek Hill). Arden Key’s situation isn’t entirely different, as he took time away from LSU in 2017 for an unknown reason. So whether he had an issue with the team or the coaches, or football in general, that is the big question.
Another question that scouts will be asking is how healthy is Key? During his time away from LSU he also got shoulder surgery, which may or may not have been the reason his numbers dipped in 2017.
NFL teams will be staying up at night thinking about drafting Key. While he has his question marks, you may wonder the possibilities that come with his game. This is a great example of a high risk-high reward player, with the reward being limitless.
Arden Key may just be the next NFL sack leader, or the next NFL draft bust.