LSU Football: Could Arden Key be better than Myles Garrett?

LSU football coach Ed Orgeron made a bold claim at SEC media days Tuesday, stating Arden Key could be better than Myles Garrett.

How good can Arden Key be? If you ask LSU football coach Ed Orgeron, he’d tell you that the soon-to-be junior defensive end may just wind up being better than former Texas A&M star Myles Garrett.

During his appearance at SEC media days Tuesday, he had been asked about his star defensive end, who has been a hot topic of conversation.

Orgeron spoke about the timeline of his return after dealing with offseason injuries and potential surgery, stating that he may miss the season-opener against BYU on Sept. 2. Tigers fans were disappointed to hear that, but delighted to listen to what the coach had to say next.

That’s quite the statement from the head coach. Sure, he’s supposed to have his own player’s back, but he wouldn’t say something that outlandish if he didn’t truly believe it.

So how does Key stack up to Garrett? Well, the 6-foot-6, 231-pound end wasn’t the No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of high school, but he was a highly-rated four-star. He may not be quite as strong as Garrett, who had a 6-foot-4, 270-pound frame, but his potential is through the roof.

As a sophomore, Key finished with 55 total tackles, 12.5 for loss, 11 sacks and three pass deflections. In comparison, Garrett recorded 59 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks with two pass deflections as a sophomore. The two had very similar numbers, outside of tackles for loss, making the comparison fair.

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However, could Key play well enough in 2017, and stay healthy, to earn himself the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft? It’s possible, but he’d need a heck of a season to do so. Have to love Orgeron’s confidence.