The Bears picked Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott in the fifth round Saturday.
The team’s fifth round pick, No. 166, came from the Panthers as part of a trade in which the Bears moved up to take Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad in Round 4.
Elliott, 22, started for two years at ASU after first signing to play at New Mexico State. He had nine sacks and four passes defended in 25 games in Tempe. Last season alone, he had seven sacks.
In two seasons at New Mexico State, he had 2½ sacks and 10½ tackles for loss.
“A high-end intangible player,” Bears west coast area scout Reese Hicks said. “Smart, instinctive. He wore the green dot for them at Arizona State. Worked hard. Everything you want in a player, especially in Day 3 of the draft. So, we’re really happy to have him. He’s really passionate about the game. Just elite kind of intangibles and makeup.”
Elliott said he heard less from the Bears than most other teams and was surprised to hear about their interest Saturday.
The suburban Kansas City, Mo., native figures to play special teams alongside Ruben Hyppolite II. He wasn’t a special teams player at ASU.
“It’s something I’m super-excited about,” he said. “My play at linebacker is something that translates well to special teams.”
The Bears are set at starting linebacker, with Devin Bush, T.J. Edwards and Jack Sanborn set to play on base downs. The 6-foot-1, 231-pounder could contribute at middle or weak-side linebacker in case of an injury.
Elliott is the fifth of 10 children.
The Bears have two more picks left in Saturday’s draft, both in Round 7.
