Oakland Raiders: 17 burning questions heading into the 2018 season

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BATON ROUGE, LA – NOVEMBER 28: Kyle Allen No. 10 of the Texas A&M Aggies avoids a tackle by Arden Key No. 49 of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 28, 2015 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

What can we expect from Arden Key?

During his time with the LSU Tigers, Arden Key established himself as one of the best edge rushers in college football. The problem with Key during his college days, however, was he failed to be on the field consistently, as he battled off-the-field issues, and injuries during his time with the Tigers.

When it came time for the Raiders to pick at No. 87 in the third round, they quickly made the move for the very physically gifted Key. With the Raiders, Key will get to start his career behind stars Bruce Irvin and Khalil Mack, which will only help him in his development down the road.

So what can we expect from Key in 2018? Well, you can be sure defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is going to find some way to deploy his skill set on passing downs. Even as a rookie, and as the No. 3 rusher on the defense, he should be able to get between five and eight sacks in this defense.

Oakland is going to be very much improved along the defensive line, both in the interior, and on the edges. Irvin is making the full-time switch to defensive end, and with a youthful player like Key learning from him, you have to think Key is a guy who could be a Pro Bowl player very young in his NFL career.

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