After trading the No. 89 overall pick, and the No. 217 overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams, the Oakland Raiders selected LSU defensive end Arden Key with the No. 87 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
CAREER
Played 31 games with 28 starts in three years at LSU … Opted to forgo his senior season at LSU and entered his name into the 2018 NFL Draft … Finished career with 130 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 21 sacks and 28 quarterback hurries … The 21 sacks tie with Gabe Northern for third place in LSU history … Set the LSU single-season sack record in 2016 with 12 sacks … Two-time first team All-SEC selection as well as being a Freshman All-American in 2015.
JUNIOR SEASON (2017)
Played and started eight games, finishing with 33 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks … Added eight quarterback hurries and a forced fumble … Sat out Citrus Bowl with an injury … Started season on injured list after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery … Missed the BYU and Chattanooga games but returned to action in week 3 against Mississippi State … Finished regular season on injured list as he missed wins over Tennessee and Texas A&M … Best string of games came during three-game stretch against Auburn, Ole Miss and Alabama … Had six tackles and a sack vs. Auburn followed by six tackles and a pair of sacks against Ole Miss … Added season-high eight tackles and a half-sack against Alabama …. Had three tackles in what turned out to be his final game as a Tigers in a November win over Arkansas.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2016)
School record holder with 12 single-season sacks... Led the squad with 14.5 tackles for loss … Finished sixth on the team with 56 total tackles … Also tied for fifth on the team in solo tackles with 24 … Recorded two sacks for 16 yards in the Citrus Bowl to take the record … Also logged six tackles against the Cardinals … Captured LSU's first safety since 2012 in the Citrus Bowl after sacking Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, the first in a bowl for the Tigers since the 1974 Orange Bowl against Penn State … Named first team All-SEC by the media and second team All-SEC by the coaches ... Logged a sack in nine of the 11 contests that he played ... Matched his career high in both tackles and tackles for loss against Florida where he compiled eight tackles and two tackles for loss ... Logged one sack at Arkansas ... Recovered his first fumble of the season, which was forced by Frank Herron, for his second career recovery and also compiled five tackles against Alabama ... Moved into the top-10 in single season sacks after dropping Ole Miss' Chad Kelly for a loss of four yards ... Registered five tackles, two quarterback hits and his first pass breakup of the season against Southern Miss ... Earned a sack against Missouri and also recorded three tackles ... Had a monster of a game at Auburn where he finished the evening with six tackles, three quarterback hurries, 1.5 sacks and forced his second fumble of the season, which was picked up by Davon Godchaux ... Picked up a huge sack and forced a fumble that was recovered by Godchaux on 4th and 8 with 1:41 left in the fourth quarter against Mississippi State as the Tigers were clinging to the 23-20 lead ... Totaled his third-consecutive game with a sack and tied his career high with two sacks against Mississippi State .... Recorded a sack against Jacksonville State ... Tallied six tackles and registered a career-high two sacks against Wisconsin.
FRESHMAN SEASON (2015)
Played in all 12 games and started the final nine contests at defensive end … Named a Freshman AllAmerica by ESPN.com and 247Sports as well as an SEC All-Freshman Team member following an outstanding rookie campaign … Collected 41 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, a team-high nine quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery … Had a monster game against Texas A&M where he posted a career-high eight tackles, 1.5 sacks and three QB hurries ... Earned a sack vs. Arkansas ... Recorded a sack, recovered a fumble and finished with a career-high six tackles at Alabama ... Tallied half a sack vs. Florida ... Hurried the QB on the pass that led to Deion Jones' 26-yard pick six in Key's first start versus Eastern Michigan ... Tipped a pass that Deion Jones picked off at Syracuse ... Played extensively in the opener at Mississippi State and recorded LSU's first sack of the season along with two QB hurries and one PBU.
HIGH SCHOOL
Rangy, explosive athlete at the defensive end position ... Unanimously rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports, Scout and ESPN ... Ranked as high as the No. 3 weak side defensive end nationally by 247Sports and the No. 24 overall prospect nationally by ESPN ... Touted as the No. 4 overall prospect coming out of Georgia ... Racked up 15.5 sacks as a senior ... Accounted for more than 100 tackles and eight sacks as a junior ... Registered a dozen sacks as a sophomore ... Member of the Rivals 250, Scout 300, 247Sports Top 247 and ESPN 300 ... Garnered an invitation to play in the Under Armour All-American Game ... Class 2A first team All-State selection ... Coached by Winston Gordon.
PERSONAL
Parents are Nicole Spencer and Arden Key Sr. ... Born May 3, 1996 … Majoring in interdisciplinary studies. ARDEN KEY'S CAREER HIGHS Total tackles: 8, three times (Last: at Alabama, 2017; First: vs. Texas A&M, 2015) Tackles for loss: 2.5 vs. Mississippi State, 2016 Sacks: 2.0, three times (Last: at Ole Miss, 2017; First: vs. Mississippi State, 2016)
With the 87th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Raiders select LSU defensive end Arden Key.