Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: 5 players to avoid in the 2018 NFL Draft

By Jeremy Wohlfart

Commissioner Roger Goodell names a pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the 2016 NFL Draft (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
Commissioner Roger Goodell names a pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the 2016 NFL Draft (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /
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No. 5: Arden Key, EDGE. LSU

I’ve already written before about the issues surrounding LSU EDGE Arden Key, but I’ll just give a quick refresher.

Key had a mysterious absence from LSU, details of which are still unknown, before coming back out of shape and unable to begin the college season. His father has refused to give any details, saying the past is the past.

NFL scouts do not agree.

Walter Football did a piece on Key, and said this:

"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."

After I wrote this article, 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster was arrested for the second time. There are already enough concerns about Foster that, despite his dynamic talent, Key has not done enough to convince teams there are no issues with drafting him.