NFL Hot Press




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Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst
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Off-the-Field Issues Could Cause Key to Slide

Updated Jan. 11, 2018
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

Weeks ago here in the Hot Press, we surveyed sources from around the league on who were the elite talents in the 2018 NFL Draft. One of the names chosen by every evaluator was LSU defensive end Arden Key. Similar to some other great recent edge rushers like Jadeveon Clowney, Joey Bosa and Myles Garrett, Key's numbers were down as a junior compared to his sophomore season for a variety of reasons, including injury and extra blocking attention. Those three NFL edge rushers still were all top-three picks despite the decline in production. Key also is viewed as a special athletic talent like them, but another issue could cause Key to slide in the 2018 NFL Draft and that is off-the-field concerns.

Sources from a few NFL teams said the off-the-field concerns are significant enough to have a big impact on Key's draft stock. Key took a leave of absence from the LSU program in the spring of 2017, and that may be related to the off-the-field issues. Evaluators at multiple franchises brought up off-the-field concerns independently of each other. They all said that the background check on Key is very important, and how he interviews with teams during the leadup to the 2018 NFL Draft will be critical. If the interviews go well, Key could be a high first-rounder. If they don't, sources say his slide could be substantial.

After shoulder surgery prior to the 2017 season, Key was overweight and had to work himself back into playing shape after missing a few games to open the season. Therefore, his weight and health will also be watched closely by teams when he reports to the NFL Scouting Combine. Key is a wild card in the 2018 NFL Draft, and teams are going to be putting a lot of emphasis on how he interviews prior to the draft. Right now, it sounds like the off-the-field issues could cause Key to slide.






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