Arden is Key for the Oakland Raiders in 2019 and beyond

The Oakland Raiders made Arden Key their third round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and he will be expected to dominate in year two.

The Oakland Raiders did not necessarily have a need for an edge rusher during the early round of the 2018 NFL Draft, as they had both Bruce Irvin and Khalil Mack in place for the 2018 NFL season. Still, they decided to select one in the third round, picking LSU edge rusher Arden Key with the No. 87 overall pick.

Coming out of LSU, Key was one of the more dominant edge rushers in college football. During his time with the Tigers, Key showed he had first round potential on the field, but made some questionable decisions off of it.

When it came time for the Oakland Raiders to make their second of two third round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, they took a shot on a player with so much potential. As a rookie, Key was expected to play behind both Irvin and Mack, who the team had not traded yet.

Unfortunately, Key had to accelerate his growth, as Mack was traded right before the season, and Irvin ended up being released by the team during it. As a rookie, Key ended up starting ten games, racking up only one sack, while collecting 11 hits on the quarterback.

While that kind of production is not bad for a rookie, Key has to get better in 2019, and he certainly has the skill set to do just that. There were times in 2018 where he was just a little too late to the quarterback, and you can be sure that new defensive line coach Brentson Buckner is going to be working with him a lot this offseason.

Oakland was historically bad at getting after the quarterback in 2018, and you have to think they are going to spend one of their three first round picks on an edge rusher this April. Key showed flashes during his rookie season, and the hope is that he can take the next step, and then some in 2019.