The 49ers’ roster needs some help at defensive end. A quick peek ahead to this year’s draft class indicates that position could be relatively thin on high-quality talent. San Francisco could look to bolster their defensive group in free agency, and they hosted free agent DE Arden Key on Tuesday per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Key was a third-round pick of the Raiders in the 2018 draft. He played in 37 games with them and notched only 3.0 sacks before being waived in mid-April.
The talent with Key was evident early in his college career at LSU, and he was considered the draft’s top defensive player early in the 2018 draft process. Off-field concerns combined with injuries during his final college season cratered his draft stock though. He took a leave of absence for personal reasons in the spring leading up to his junior year that initially lifted a red flag for evaluators.
Still, his college career fetched him a pair of First-Team All-SEC selections, and he racked up 20.0 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss in 31 games.
The 49ers have taken chances on edge rushers with good traits, and Key would fit that mold.
