NFL Draft Rumors: Vander Esch, Steelers, Bills
The latest NFL Draft news:
- Linked to Leighton Vander Esch for several weeks this offseason, the Steelers met with the Boise State outside linebacker on Monday night, Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst reports. Pittsburgh has used first-round picks on either inside or outside ‘backers in four of its past five drafts. Three of those players remain on the team, but only two will be able to play this season. Ryan Shazier has been declared out as he attempts to recover from his frightening spine injury. Pauline wrote in March that Vander Esch won’t get past Pittsburgh at No. 28.
- Next up for Vander Esch met the Cowboys on Wednesday morning, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. After that, he has the Cardinals and every team picking between No. 12 to No. 24, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Aside from the aforementioned clubs, the teams picking from No. 12-24 are the Bills (twice), Redskins, Packers, Ravens, Chargers, Seahawks, Lions, Bengals, Bills, Patriots, and Panthers.
- LSU pass-rusher Arden Key met with the Saints and Lions before his pro day on Wednesday and will visit with the Bengals on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Due to injuries, key only started in eight games last year, but he still finished out with 33 tackles, 5.5 for loss, four sacks, and a forced fumble. He is widely projected to be a first round pick later this month.
LSU’s Arden Key Declares For Draft
LSU outside linebacker/defensive end Arden Key has officially announced that he will enter the 2018 draft. Key is widely projected as a first-round prospect with a strong possibility of coming off the board within the first 15 picks. 
“Our sincere gratitude goes out to all of the LSU fans, the state of Louisiana, [Ed Orgeron] and staff, administration and most of all my brothers,” Key said in his Twitter announcement. “A special thank you to Coach [Les] Miles for giving me the opportunity to become a Tiger. … Excited to start my new journey and prayers that my LSU fam will continue to support me. To LSU Football, bring our state of Louisiana a national championship.”
Key stands at 6’6″, weighs about 250 pounds, and is still among the more agile OLB/DE prospects in this year’s draft. From a pure talent perspective, Key has evaluators drooling. However, there are some questions about his injury history and off-the-field activities.
This past spring, Key took a leave of absence for what LSU called “personal reasons.” To this day, no one knows for sure why Key was separated from the team. Key later had shoulder surgery and missed all of summer workouts plus the first two games of the 2017 season. He was also slowed by a broken finger and a knee injury during the year.
Still, Key is tied for third on LSU’s all-time sack list and possesses more upside than most in this year’s class. With a solid showing in workouts, Key could find his way into the top ten.