Arden Key met Khalil Mack early this spring. It came in Atlanta, when the All-Pro edge rusher helped his agent try to recruit the LSU product.
“We just talked about football and life,” Key said.
Key signed with another agency, but he thought more conversations about football and life would come after the Raiders took him in the NFL draft’s third round.
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That never happened. Khalil never reported to the Raiders, and was traded to Chicago for a package featuring two first-round picks.
“It was very shocking,” Key said. “I thought the deal was going to get done, but it didn’t work out.”
Key loves learning from veterans, players who know the NFL and have prove pass-rush moves. The rookie has a large tool box already, but loves adding to it. He wishes could’ve studied with Mack, during the offseason at least.
He has Bruce Irvin as a mentor, which has proved beneficial this summer. Key has proven with the bend and agility and quickness of a productive pass rusher. Coaches are excited about him and his potential.
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“I’m more comfortable now than I was at first,” Key said. “I’ve been working from both sides evenly in practice, and that’s a good thing. I’ve gotten better and better as the preseason has gone on.”
Key is the most talent pass rusher outside Irvin. Don’t take that to mean Key will take Mack’s role. The former Defensive Player of the Year played nearly every snap, and did nearly everything well.
Jon Gruden said it might involve more blitzing, though Paul Guenther prefers a four-man rush.
The Raiders are expected to play to several players’ strengths. Tank Carradine should play in the first-team bas defense, as he has all preseason. He’ll have help from Frostee Rucker at times, or spelling Irvin on obvious rushing downs.
Key planned to be a situational pass rusher. That should still be the case as he adjusts to the NFL. Fadol Brown is a wild card. He never, ever stops, and showed solid pass rush ability and run defense. He makes life hard on every opponent, with maximum effort.
These roles aren’t hard to define. They were established during a training camp where Mack was withholding services. The alpha isn’t coming home anymore, but the practice rotations and chemistry haven’t changed. That has helped the defensive line as a whole play well together.
“Our chemistry is at an all-time high right now,” Brown said. “This group is capable of making a lot of big plays now and in the future. We have to lock in, and get after it come Monday night.”
The Raiders play the L.A. Rams Monday night, and stopping Todd Gurley and Jared Goff will be vital to victory. That effort will be harder without Mack’s elite talent, but the line and the Raiders locker room as a whole isn’t feeling sorry for itself. They aren’t mad at Mack, either. They’re happy he got paid, and ready for the opportunity to step up in his absence.
“This is an opportunity for me and the rest of the guys on the defensive line. Khalil Mack is gone,” Key said. “We can’t dwell on it. We have to move forward. Somebody has to step up in his spot.”