Keyshaun
Elliott.
Keyshaun
Elliott.
Arizona State· 6'2"· 231 lb
R5 · #166 · Chicago Bears"Downhill Mike-backer with 300+ college tackles and legitimate blitz juice, but short arms and stiff coverage hips shove him to a Day 3 core-special-teams tag."Pre-draft read
Downhill thumper aligned as a stack MIKE in nickel and dime, with a role as an A/B-gap green-dog blitzer on obvious pass downs. Primary win trait is trigger: eyes stay on guard/tackle combos, feet click on run key, and he arrives with pop through the ball-carrier's near number. Secondary trait is blitz timing — reads the center's hand, delays half a beat, then explodes through the guard-center gap for clean finishes.
Hands play late in the run game, and he can dip and lean under blocks in tight quarters. In coverage he mirrors well underneath on short zones and gets depth on hook drops, but redirect suffers when asked to flip and carry vertical seams; hips tighten. Motor is elite and he finishes runs 20 yards downfield.
Fangio two-high schemes that emphasize zone coverage from their linebackers and generate pressure through simulated pressures and green-dog blitzes.
Immediate special teams contributor and sub-package blitz specialist, with a ceiling as a starting stack MIKE in a zone-heavy scheme by Year 2.
Man-heavy schemes that frequently ask their linebackers to carry vertical routes or trail tight ends and running backs in space.
Keyshaun Elliott's downhill trigger, blitz timing, and zone coverage instincts are tailor-made for a defensive scheme that values pressure from the second level and short-area run defense rather than extensive man coverage responsibilities.
Keyshaun Elliott Highlights | Chicago Bears Linebacker
Game film cut-up of Keyshaun Elliott's Arizona State tape.
Keyshaun Elliott #44 LB ASU - NFL DRAFT
Game film cut-up of Keyshaun Elliott's Arizona State tape.
HIGHLIGHTS: Keyshaun Elliott
Game film cut-up of Keyshaun Elliott's Arizona State tape.
He projects as a high-volume MIKE linebacker, a player whose team is buying a proven tackle producer capable of immediately providing depth and special teams contributions. His on-field instincts, blitzing ability, and documented productivity at multiple schools make him a strong candidate for a backup role with a clear path to sub-package snaps, particularly in pass-rushing situations. His 38-inch vertical jump highlights his explosiveness.
He evolved significantly over his college career, starting as a two-tackle freshman at New Mexico State and culminating as a third-team All-Big 12 selection at Arizona State. He transferred to Arizona State as part of a rebuild, where he became a key defensive piece, finishing his final season with 98 tackles, 14 TFL, and 7 sacks, demonstrating consistent high-level production and adaptability to new schemes.
Evaluators consistently projected him as a Day 3 prospect. Concerns included his short arm length and stiff hips in man coverage, which limited his recovery burst against modern spread offenses. Despite these flags, his reliable instincts and special teams upside were appealing to teams. He was ultimately drafted in the fifth round, 166th overall.
- 01
Elite tackle volume
Piled up 274 tackles across his last three seasons (111-65-98), a rare production floor that shows both instincts and durability at a beat-up position.
- 02
Downhill trigger and finish
Reads guard-tackle combos with clean eyes, presses the line of scrimmage on the first step and delivers heavy blows through the near number in short-yardage.
- 03
Blitz timing and juice
7 sacks and 4 QB hurries as a senior; times the center's hand and explodes through A/B gaps as a green-dog pressure piece on obvious pass downs.
- 04
Coverage IQ in zone
Feels crossers, gets depth on hook/curl drops and passes off routes cleanly in Tampa 2 and match-quarters looks, protecting the middle-of-the-field windows.
- 05
Special-teams profile
Combine 38-inch vertical and 125-inch broad translate to core-four value; length of strides and finishing gear should play on kickoff, punt and hands teams from Week 1.
- 01
Short arms limit stack-and-shed
31 1/4" arms show up on angle blocks from tackles and pulling guards; when locked out, he struggles to disengage and gets washed on wide zone.
- 02
Tight hips in man coverage
Opens the gate turning and running with tight ends and backs on wheels; recovery burst is average and route-runners can stack him vertically.
- 03
Testing story left on the table
Did not run the 40 at the Combine or Pro Day, leaving evaluators to project long speed from tape; that uncertainty capped his ceiling on boards.
- 04
Play strength inconsistency
Wins with leverage and pop as a downhill striker but loses ground when centers get into his frame in short-yardage; anchor at the point of attack is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- —s
- Vertical
- 38inp50
- Broad jump
- 125inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 21repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | New Mexico State | 12 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | New Mexico State | 15 | 110 | 2.5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | Arizona State | 13 | 64 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | Arizona State | 12 | 98 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | — | 52 | 299 | 11.5 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Big-frame production LB whose testing left evaluators guessing; rotational MIKE who lives on early-down runs and core teams.
Instinctive, downhill MIKE with sub-package blitz value and heavy special-teams reps — the exact developmental arc Chicago is buying.
Late-round Group-of-Five tackle producer who never cracked the coverage puzzle and washed out as a career camp/PS body.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
**Pre-draft context** Two-star to three-star LB out of Richmond (Mo.) who took the New Mexico State offer when Power Four programs passed. Redshirted in 2022, broke out with 111 tackles as a 2023 sophomore on the Aggies team that upset Auburn on the road, then followed defensive staff turnover to Arizona State via the portal. Started every game across two Sun Devil seasons, culminating in a senior All-Big 12 nod after the 98-tackle, 7-sack campaign. Combine invite came off Senior Bowl practices, where he tested well in jumps but skipped the 40. Boards clustered him Day 3 as a downhill MIKE with special-teams juice.
**NFL fit — Chicago Bears** The defensive system drafts to a specific MIKE type — instinctive, physical, willing between the tackles — and Elliott slots as the 4-through-5 depth piece behind T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds with immediate value on kickoff and punt coverage. Chicago acquired 166, doubling up on second-level physicality. Expect base-package snaps in short-yardage and goal line early, sub-package green-dog blitzer looks by midseason if the team wants to preserve Edwards on obvious pass downs, and a long runway on all four core teams. The developmental swing is coverage: if he can add rotational hip flexibility and improve his carry on tight-end verticals, there is a two-down starter's ceiling in a heavier defensive front.
**Retrospective** Too early to grade, but the evaluation was clean — everyone saw the same player. If he sticks as a rotational LB4 and locks down a core-teams role, Chicago got exactly what pick 166 usually returns. The upside case is a Nick Kwiatkoski-style spot starter who patches injuries and never surrenders the leverage of the run game.