Arden Key-DE/OLB-LSU

I've suppirted Key more than most, but I think if he goes in the 1st it would be a surprise. When he's on his game he's as good as anyone.

The weight concerns are actually a positive IMO. He's terrible at higher weights. Lean and athletic is his game. He's beach down to him old playing weight but he hasn't shown the athleticism during testing that makes you gets excited. In his prime, he's a bigger version of Leonard Floyd (loved him coming out), but he's so inconsistent and hitting the draft with a downward pointing arrow.

The 2nd round is probably his sweet spot. He's best as a situation rusher year 1 (or 2) or possibility a 3-4 OLB (round 3 value) at that position.

If we could get him in the 2nd, sure. Before them, it's too risky. I don't trust him as a pro.

Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline hears that LSU edge rusher Arden Key "looked good in drills" during Wednesday's pro day.

"Key was explosive, hit the bags with power and looked athletic moving around the field," Pauline writes. It's an encouraging review, one which falls completely in line with the observations of NFL Media's Mike Mayock, who said on Wednesday that the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Key "looked phenomenal" in his drill work. These positive returns do very much ease some of the sting from some slow, slow runs in the 40-yard dash. Mayock clocked the LSU standout at 4.89 seconds and 4.91 seconds. All of this is instructive information for the draft, but it remains difficult to gauge just how teams might be evaluating Key's interviews, which may very well end up making or breaking his slot.
Source: Draft Analyst

^ He's an enigma. You know the ability is there, but so many red flags. I'm not one that puts much into timed speed, but 4.9 is terrible when you're that size.

Mayock raved about his drills, but we've also seen him get pushed around and seem uninterested in run support. The athleticism makes you want put him at 3-4 OLB, but can he hold up there? Probably not.

I think he'll get drafted as a high end situational rusher, which is 2nd round range. Gregory is an easy comp to throw out there, but Key has a much higher ceiling because of his size and what's he's shown in the past. However, if he shows up lazy and unmotivated it's a wasted pick.

It would probably be easier to convince GMs that a guy like Marquis Haynes is a better pick a round or two other. Sucks because Key was a sure top-10 pick a little over a year ago. Someone will take a chance on him, but the NFL is becoming less and less forgiving with character issues. He may be on the board for our second pick. If we go Minkah, Smith, or Ward in the 1st that would make for a tough decision for Lynch. Character or need?

Originally posted by 49erBigMac:

Originally posted by Hoovtrain:

Yup and that was all mentioned as well. Would you even touch him no matter how far he fell?

Yeah, you still have to roll the dice at some point. 5th round for me, someone will take him much higher though.

Same here, a 5th rounder with all the red flags. Landry + Arden, if we get both, that would be

Originally posted by strickac:
^ He's an enigma. You know the ability is there, but so many red flags. I'm not one that puts much into timed speed, but 4.9 is terrible when you're that size.

Mayock raved about his drills, but we've also seen him get pushed around and seem uninterested in run support. The athleticism makes you want put him at 3-4 OLB, but can he hold up there? Probably not.

I think he'll get drafted as a high end situational rusher, which is 2nd round range. Gregory is an easy comp to throw out there, but Key has a much higher ceiling because of his size and what's he's shown in the past. However, if he shows up lazy and unmotivated it's a wasted pick.

It would probably be easier to convince GMs that a guy like Marquis Haynes is a better pick a round or two other. Sucks because Key was a sure top-10 pick a little over a year ago. Someone will take a chance on him, but the NFL is becoming less and less forgiving with character issues. He may be on the board for our second pick. If we go Minkah, Smith, or Ward in the 1st that would make for a tough decision for Lynch. Character or need?

Yeah I mean I'm more interested in the 10 yard split (anyone know what he got?) they the 40 time...but a 4.9

I can't see SF drafting this kid and wouldn't be shocked if he was off their board all together.

Flame away....but id trade back, grab BPA or stay put and grab minkah in 1st and this guy in the 2nd

Originally posted by Hoovtrain:
Flame away....but id trade back, grab BPA or stay put and grab minkah in 1st and this guy in the 2nd

football charter is poo...Lynch might not even have him on the big board

Originally posted by NYniner85:

Originally posted by Hoovtrain:

Flame away....but id trade back, grab BPA or stay put and grab minkah in 1st and this guy in the 2nd

football charter is poo...Lynch might not even have him on the big board

Lol

We reached out to two NFL teams that spoke with Key to find out what happened — and we double-checked with a source in Baton Rouge. Key left the program to enter rehab, they said, for marijuana. The feeling we got was that the NFL wasn't too concerned about that, even though he was briefly suspended after one failed test upon returning to school.
The biggest concern, we hear, is that Key — who was not in regular contact with the school for a period of time during his absence — started listening to people outside the program for advice on how he should progress in football. Against the advice of LSU's team doctors, Key was compelled to have his shoulder operated on. The school's medical staff had looked at Key's shoulder, which bothered him for some time, and determined that surgery was not necessary.

Key said at the combine that the shoulder "doesn't give me any problems now" and that he's good to go. But the timing of it resulted in him missing the early part of the season — and the school was caught off guard by the whole thing at first.

An NFC scouting director said that raises a red flag.
"It's always concerning when you have [players] going out on their own for medical advice, second opinions, because you don't always know what people are telling them," the director said. "You're going to listen to some other doctor that's never seen you before because a mentor of yours recommended him? That's where we have concerns. It's not the weed or the weight or any of that; that stuff we can deal with.
"The problem is listening to some coach you've known forever or some family member getting in their ear and telling them that the [school] doesn't have their best interests. Look up at New England, that whole mess with Tom Brady and the doctors and that trainer [Alex Guerrero] recruiting guys away from the [Patriots medical staff] … teams worry about that. They want to know everything that's done to their players."

The LSU source confirmed the timeline and concern about outside influences. The source also added that Key was "completely, madly, wildly out of shape" upon returning — he first played against Mississippi State — but worked his way into form by the Florida game. LSU lost to Alabama later in the season but Key "played his ass off" in the game, the team source said.
Key has terrific talent, and yet his substance history, weight and poor play certainly don't make him a squeaky clean evaluation. Add that to the fact that a 238-pound Key reportedly ran a 4.85-second 40-yard dash Wednesday after skipping the event at the combine. "I know how much technique is involved in the 40, so I said, nah, I'm just going to wait until Pro Day," Key told the media in Indy five weeks ago.
Key had been training for the pro day with private pass-rush coach (and former Atlanta Falcon) Chuck Smith, whom he's known since high school.
The LSU source likes Key and said people in the program are rooting for him to be successful — but that he has some maturing he needs to do and that earning the trust of his NFL team will be crucial over the coming weeks.

"It's weird to say it this way, but Arden is a sweetheart," the source said. "Arden gets his ass into trouble because he's a people pleaser. … He's got to learn to listen to the people he works for [in the NFL]. If he keeps listening to the outside voices, it's going to be an issue for him. That's the issue. He's got to figure out what it is to be a grownup."
The AFC team we spoke with said they did not knock Key off their board for off-field concerns but have affected their draft grade on him.
"We tend to think about players who have as much going on as he does in [Round 4]. Talent-wise, should he go much higher? Yeah. But you just can't commit to a player you don't trust."

Told about the sweetheart comment from a member of the staff, the AFC scout said: "I believe that. And I'll sign off on a sweetheart [who has] gotten in trouble if I think he'll listen to us. That's where the concern is."

Key said at the combine that he's "coachable, a people's person, a loving caring guy" and that he's "got a good smile." He echoed his sentiments of last month on Wednesday to the media that he believes scouts are coming away with a better impression of him once he shares the details of his absence.
"A lot of scouts viewed me differently before meeting me," Key said. "And when they met me, I told them the truth — the full, honest truth — and took responsibility of those things. Now they look at me in a different eye."

But have the concerns over the decision to have the surgery and the outside influences been assuaged? That's likely the biggest question that will determine where this one-time top-10 talent will end end in the 2018 NFL draft. It's almost certain he won't be a first-round pick, but how far will he fall?

"Do you and I know that the Bengals are going to take Arden in the third round because they don't care about any of that stuff? Yeah." the team source asked (and answered) rhetorically. "And he's going to end up having a monster rookie year and then you fear he'll start to dip … just like Jeremy [Hill] did.
"If I had a million dollars, I would just bet that the Bengals draft him. He just has that feel about him."

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2018/04/05/way-we-hear-it-concern-over-lsus-arden-key-starts-with-his-outside-influences/aekqxhp/

Despite all the freakish potential with this guy and I just can't hold my nose and take him, in any round... pass

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

We reached out to two NFL teams that spoke with Key to find out what happened — and we double-checked with a source in Baton Rouge. Key left the program to enter rehab, they said, for marijuana. The feeling we got was that the NFL wasn't too concerned about that, even though he was briefly suspended after one failed test upon returning to school.
The biggest concern, we hear, is that Key — who was not in regular contact with the school for a period of time during his absence — started listening to people outside the program for advice on how he should progress in football. Against the advice of LSU's team doctors, Key was compelled to have his shoulder operated on. The school's medical staff had looked at Key's shoulder, which bothered him for some time, and determined that surgery was not necessary.

Key said at the combine that the shoulder "doesn't give me any problems now" and that he's good to go. But the timing of it resulted in him missing the early part of the season — and the school was caught off guard by the whole thing at first.

An NFC scouting director said that raises a red flag.
"It's always concerning when you have [players] going out on their own for medical advice, second opinions, because you don't always know what people are telling them," the director said. "You're going to listen to some other doctor that's never seen you before because a mentor of yours recommended him? That's where we have concerns. It's not the weed or the weight or any of that; that stuff we can deal with.
"The problem is listening to some coach you've known forever or some family member getting in their ear and telling them that the [school] doesn't have their best interests. Look up at New England, that whole mess with Tom Brady and the doctors and that trainer [Alex Guerrero] recruiting guys away from the [Patriots medical staff] … teams worry about that. They want to know everything that's done to their players."

The LSU source confirmed the timeline and concern about outside influences. The source also added that Key was "completely, madly, wildly out of shape" upon returning — he first played against Mississippi State — but worked his way into form by the Florida game. LSU lost to Alabama later in the season but Key "played his ass off" in the game, the team source said.
Key has terrific talent, and yet his substance history, weight and poor play certainly don't make him a squeaky clean evaluation. Add that to the fact that a 238-pound Key reportedly ran a 4.85-second 40-yard dash Wednesday after skipping the event at the combine. "I know how much technique is involved in the 40, so I said, nah, I'm just going to wait until Pro Day," Key told the media in Indy five weeks ago.
Key had been training for the pro day with private pass-rush coach (and former Atlanta Falcon) Chuck Smith, whom he's known since high school.
The LSU source likes Key and said people in the program are rooting for him to be successful — but that he has some maturing he needs to do and that earning the trust of his NFL team will be crucial over the coming weeks.

"It's weird to say it this way, but Arden is a sweetheart," the source said. "Arden gets his ass into trouble because he's a people pleaser. … He's got to learn to listen to the people he works for [in the NFL]. If he keeps listening to the outside voices, it's going to be an issue for him. That's the issue. He's got to figure out what it is to be a grownup."
The AFC team we spoke with said they did not knock Key off their board for off-field concerns but have affected their draft grade on him.
"We tend to think about players who have as much going on as he does in [Round 4]. Talent-wise, should he go much higher? Yeah. But you just can't commit to a player you don't trust."

Told about the sweetheart comment from a member of the staff, the AFC scout said: "I believe that. And I'll sign off on a sweetheart [who has] gotten in trouble if I think he'll listen to us. That's where the concern is."

Key said at the combine that he's "coachable, a people's person, a loving caring guy" and that he's "got a good smile." He echoed his sentiments of last month on Wednesday to the media that he believes scouts are coming away with a better impression of him once he shares the details of his absence.
"A lot of scouts viewed me differently before meeting me," Key said. "And when they met me, I told them the truth — the full, honest truth — and took responsibility of those things. Now they look at me in a different eye."

But have the concerns over the decision to have the surgery and the outside influences been assuaged? That's likely the biggest question that will determine where this one-time top-10 talent will end end in the 2018 NFL draft. It's almost certain he won't be a first-round pick, but how far will he fall?

"Do you and I know that the Bengals are going to take Arden in the third round because they don't care about any of that stuff? Yeah." the team source asked (and answered) rhetorically. "And he's going to end up having a monster rookie year and then you fear he'll start to dip … just like Jeremy [Hill] did.
"If I had a million dollars, I would just bet that the Bengals draft him. He just has that feel about him."

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2018/04/05/way-we-hear-it-concern-over-lsus-arden-key-starts-with-his-outside-influences/aekqxhp/

Wow, that sounds exactly like Reuben lol.

Looks like SF has a private workout scheduled

The former LSU linebacker has a tight schedule of workouts and visits in the coming weeks. A pair of NFL clubs -- the 49ers and Saints -- have scheduled both a visit and workout with Key.

"Those are two great programs," Key said of the 49ers and Saints. "I can't wait to show them what I can do on the field and then get to visit their facilities."

Originally posted by NYniner85:

.@ardenkey's itinerary for the next 12 days includes 6 team visits and 2 private workouts.

See which teams are on the schedule for the @LSUfootball star: https://t.co/abNQbWYE39 (via @ChaseGoodbread) pic.twitter.com/Qt8VyptAmg

— CollegeFootball 24/7 (@NFLDraft) April 6, 2018

Looks like SF has a private workout scheduled

He has a private visit AND a workout with the 49ers. They already met with him at the combine. They're doing their due diligence.

One thing is clear: they're in the market for an edge rusher. Thank god.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

We reached out to two NFL teams that spoke with Key to find out what happened — and we double-checked with a source in Baton Rouge. Key left the program to enter rehab, they said, for marijuana. The feeling we got was that the NFL wasn't too concerned about that, even though he was briefly suspended after one failed test upon returning to school.
The biggest concern, we hear, is that Key — who was not in regular contact with the school for a period of time during his absence — started listening to people outside the program for advice on how he should progress in football. Against the advice of LSU's team doctors, Key was compelled to have his shoulder operated on. The school's medical staff had looked at Key's shoulder, which bothered him for some time, and determined that surgery was not necessary.

Key said at the combine that the shoulder "doesn't give me any problems now" and that he's good to go. But the timing of it resulted in him missing the early part of the season — and the school was caught off guard by the whole thing at first.

An NFC scouting director said that raises a red flag.
"It's always concerning when you have [players] going out on their own for medical advice, second opinions, because you don't always know what people are telling them," the director said. "You're going to listen to some other doctor that's never seen you before because a mentor of yours recommended him? That's where we have concerns. It's not the weed or the weight or any of that; that stuff we can deal with.
"The problem is listening to some coach you've known forever or some family member getting in their ear and telling them that the [school] doesn't have their best interests. Look up at New England, that whole mess with Tom Brady and the doctors and that trainer [Alex Guerrero] recruiting guys away from the [Patriots medical staff] … teams worry about that. They want to know everything that's done to their players."

The LSU source confirmed the timeline and concern about outside influences. The source also added that Key was "completely, madly, wildly out of shape" upon returning — he first played against Mississippi State — but worked his way into form by the Florida game. LSU lost to Alabama later in the season but Key "played his ass off" in the game, the team source said.
Key has terrific talent, and yet his substance history, weight and poor play certainly don't make him a squeaky clean evaluation. Add that to the fact that a 238-pound Key reportedly ran a 4.85-second 40-yard dash Wednesday after skipping the event at the combine. "I know how much technique is involved in the 40, so I said, nah, I'm just going to wait until Pro Day," Key told the media in Indy five weeks ago.
Key had been training for the pro day with private pass-rush coach (and former Atlanta Falcon) Chuck Smith, whom he's known since high school.
The LSU source likes Key and said people in the program are rooting for him to be successful — but that he has some maturing he needs to do and that earning the trust of his NFL team will be crucial over the coming weeks.

"It's weird to say it this way, but Arden is a sweetheart," the source said. "Arden gets his ass into trouble because he's a people pleaser. … He's got to learn to listen to the people he works for [in the NFL]. If he keeps listening to the outside voices, it's going to be an issue for him. That's the issue. He's got to figure out what it is to be a grownup."
The AFC team we spoke with said they did not knock Key off their board for off-field concerns but have affected their draft grade on him.
"We tend to think about players who have as much going on as he does in [Round 4]. Talent-wise, should he go much higher? Yeah. But you just can't commit to a player you don't trust."

Told about the sweetheart comment from a member of the staff, the AFC scout said: "I believe that. And I'll sign off on a sweetheart [who has] gotten in trouble if I think he'll listen to us. That's where the concern is."

Key said at the combine that he's "coachable, a people's person, a loving caring guy" and that he's "got a good smile." He echoed his sentiments of last month on Wednesday to the media that he believes scouts are coming away with a better impression of him once he shares the details of his absence.
"A lot of scouts viewed me differently before meeting me," Key said. "And when they met me, I told them the truth — the full, honest truth — and took responsibility of those things. Now they look at me in a different eye."

But have the concerns over the decision to have the surgery and the outside influences been assuaged? That's likely the biggest question that will determine where this one-time top-10 talent will end end in the 2018 NFL draft. It's almost certain he won't be a first-round pick, but how far will he fall?

"Do you and I know that the Bengals are going to take Arden in the third round because they don't care about any of that stuff? Yeah." the team source asked (and answered) rhetorically. "And he's going to end up having a monster rookie year and then you fear he'll start to dip … just like Jeremy [Hill] did.
"If I had a million dollars, I would just bet that the Bengals draft him. He just has that feel about him."

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2018/04/05/way-we-hear-it-concern-over-lsus-arden-key-starts-with-his-outside-influences/aekqxhp/

So he's going to have a monster rookie year

Originally posted by Heroism:
He has a private visit AND a workout with the 49ers. They already met with him at the combine. They're doing their due diligence.

One thing is clear: they're in the market for an edge rusher. Thank god.

Ya, but we don't' need another Reuben Foster. I'm glad their doing due diligence but, at what point do you say enough is enough.

If the 49ers had a good off the field security program, where they hire people to escort certain players and make sure they don't do anything tumultuous, then I would be all for it. But the whole Reuben Foster situation proved otherwise.