Arizona State LB Keyshaun Elliott picked 166th by the Chicago Bears

Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott was selected with the 166th pick in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.

Elliott is the first ASU linebacker to be drafted since Christian Sam in 2018, and the highest Sun Devils linebacker drafted since Carl Bradford was taken in the fourth round in 2014.

Elliott is a big, physical linebacker who has a smart football mind and high character. One of his weaknesses heading into the draft was his speed.

However, he ran a sub-4.60 40-yard dash at ASU’s pro day in front of scouts from 31 NFL teams to mitigate some of that doubt.

The ASU linebacker isn’t the first NFL player in his family. His cousin, Lenvil Elliott, had a nine-year NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers and won a Super Bowl.

Keyshaun Elliott’s road to the 2026 NFL Draft

Elliott spent his first two college seasons at New Mexico State, where he earned second-team All-Conference USA honors in 2023.

The 6-foot-2 linebacker played limited snaps in 12 games as a freshman, collecting 27 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss to go with a forced fumble.

He broke out as a sophomore, tallying 111 tackles, 10 for loss, six passes defensed and 2.5 sacks. He also forced and recovered one fumble.

Elliott transferred to ASU following that season, along with Myles “Ghost” Rowser, who’s also a draft prospect, and gave the Sun Devils two strong years of production.

The 231-pound defender totaled 163 tackles, 18 for loss and nine sacks in his two years at ASU. He added four passes defensed and an interception.

Elliott’s 14 TFLs and seven sacks in 2025 were both career highs, and he earned second-team All-Big 12 Conference honors last year.

In addition to his play on the field, Elliott was a member of ASU’s leadership council for both years, further complimenting his character and work ethic.

Elliott participated at the NFL Scouting Combine and earned a 59 production score (21st among LBs), 77 athleticism score (12th) and a 68 total score (18th), according to Next Gen Stats.

The Sun Devil earned a 5.96 prospect grade, which equates to the projection of an average backup or special teamer. Elliott completed a 38″ vertical jump and 10′ 5″ broad jump and completed 21 bench press reps.

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