What the Arden Key, Maurice Hurst releases mean for Raiders’ draft
The Las Vegas Raiders are slated to select 17th overall when the 2021 NFL Draft gets going in two weeks. The expectation here is that Las Vegas will go defense with that pick after giving up nearly 30 points per game a season ago and hiring Gus Bradley as its new defensive coordinator.
Thursday’s surprising decision to release defensive linemen Arden Key and Maurice Hurst adds a completely new layer to all of this. Both have been contributors over the past three seasons and were selected in Jon Gruden’s first draft with the Raiders.
In particular, the release of Hurst after just three seasons is telling. Considered a potential first-round pick coming out of Michigan back in 2018, the defensive tackle fell to the fifth round due to concerns about his health. He has not yet rounded into the player we saw with the Wolverines, but has flashed potential.
As for Key, the 24-year-old edge-rusher was a third-round pick in the same draft. He’s recorded 26 quarterback hits and three sacks in three seasons. While these two moves won’t make headlines, they do tell us a story about the Las Vegas Raiders and their plans heading into the 2021 NFL Draft.
