Oakland Raiders: 3 players poised to break out in 2019

2. Arden Key — DE

The Raiders drafted Arden Key in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the expectation that he would serve as a rotational pass rusher early on in his career. But then Khalil Mack was traded. And then Bruce Irvin was released by the team midway through the season.

Suddenly, Key was in a position where he was not only starting, but being relied upon for sack production.

Unfortunately, he didn’t exactly perform well under the added pressure.

Key recorded just one sack in his rookie season while playing all 16 games, making 10 starts. A lack of a true supporting cast could have contributed to this as could his inability to finish on many plays — something that has been a point of emphasis this offseason.

Regardless, the production just wasn’t there. But 2019 could be different for one-time LSU standout.

The Raiders bolstered their pass rush by selecting defensive end Clelin Ferrell fourth overall in this year’s draft and the Clemson product is expected to bring reliability and stability to a pass rush that was historically bad last season.

Key has reportedly bulked up to around 260 pounds this offseason and the hope is that the added weight could give him some extra strength and leverage when rushing the passer.

Perhaps it isn’t wise to expect an 8+ sack season out of Key just yet, but even somewhere in the vicinity of 5-7 sacks would be a massive improvement over last year.

With an improved supporting cast and the right physical conditioning, Key could be in-line for a drastically improved 2019 campaign. And given the abundance of pass rush depth now on the roster, Key better hope that his adjustments pay off.