Keyshaun Elliott LB Arizona State |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #44 PLAY STYLE: MULI-ROLE LB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 04/10/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.58 seconds (83%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #44 | |
| PLAY STYLE: MULI-ROLE LB | |
| Last Updated: 04/10/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.58 seconds (83%*) | |
| Overall Rating: | 84.2 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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75% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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65% |
| Pass Rush: |
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83% |
| Run Defense: |
|
85% |
| Coverage: |
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54% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
4th
Overall Rank:
#124
Position rank:
#14 (LB)
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| College Games: 52 College Snaps: 2345 | ||
247 RATING: 79/100
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ty'Ron Hopper - Missouri |
|
90% |
| Jordan Magee - Temple |
|
86% |
| D'Marco Jackson - Appalachian State |
|
84% |
Drafted: ROUND: 5 - Pick Number: 166 (CHI)
Draft Profile: Bio
Only two FBS defenders in 2025 finished with 90-plus tackles, 14-plus tackles for loss and seven-plus sacks, and Elliott was the one from a power conference. He wore the green dot as the Mike in Brian Ward's 4-2-5 at Arizona State, capping a two-year run with the Sun Devils that followed two productive seasons at New Mexico State.His path started with a lone Power conference offer out of high school, from Kansas, before he committed to New Mexico State in Jerry Kill's 2022 class. After a reserve freshman year, he broke out in 2023 with 111 tackles and 10 tackles for loss, leading the Aggies to their first 10-win season since 1960 and earning Second-Team All-CUSA honors.
The transfer to Tempe brought him into Big 12 play, where he started eight games in 2024 and logged eight tackles in the Peach Bowl loss to Texas. The senior year was the breakthrough, with 98 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks earning Second-Team All-Big 12 recognition, along with the Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week against Texas Tech and a first-team Academic All-American nod. He finished his career with 301 tackles, opted out of the bowl and accepted a Senior Bowl invite.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Diagnoses run action quickly and triggers downhill without hesitation when keys are clean
- Former high school quarterback processes pre-snap tells and communicates calls as the green dot
- Delivers pop through his hands on contact and finishes through ball carriers at the point of attack
- Wraps up and plays wide as a tackler, rarely letting runners slip through the core of his frame
- Blitz timing shows real feel, with seven sacks in 2025 coming off well-timed interior pressures
- Career production speaks to durability and availability, with 301 tackles across 52 games
- Leadership and work habits draw consistent praise, carrying green dot duties in a Power Four defense
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Average short-area twitch shows when he has to redirect or flip hips in space
- Slow to disengage once linemen climb clean, which walls him off from the ball
- Range to the sideline is limited and late pursuit angles compound missed fits
- Coverage instincts lag, with tardy route recognition leaving him a step behind crossers and seams
- Over-pursuit leads to whiffs in the open field when runners give him a subtle cut
- Eye discipline drifts in zone and he struggles to feel route distribution behind him
Scouting Report: Summary
The production is real and the football character is the kind NFL staffs trust in a huddle, but the coverage limitations keep this profile from reaching true three-down status without help from the scheme. Elliott is a downhill thumper who diagnoses quickly when his eyes are right and arrives with pop in his hands at the point of attack. His pro day timing is passable speed for a stack linebacker, and it confirms what the tape already said: he can run the alley and chase the seam, but he's not closing on sideline throws or recovering when his first read is wrong.Run downs are where he earns snaps early, in a gap-sound front that asks him to stack, shed and tackle between the tackles. He fits cleanly as a Mike in base packages and carries real value as a green dot communicator given the quarterback background and pre-snap recognition. The senior year pass rush production deserves more weight than a stat line suggests. Seven sacks came with genuine feel for blitz timing, heavy hands through contact and a knack for picking his lane against interior protection, and a defense that wants a designed green-dot pressure on third down has a real answer built into this skill set.
Special teams will determine whether he sticks as a core four contributor or settles into a rotational role, and the leadership and study habits are there to build on. The realistic outcome is a run-down starter and sub-package blitzer whose third-down role depends on how aggressively a coordinator trusts him to get home. Drop him into zone coverage in nickel and the problems show up fast.
Keyshaun Elliott percentiles vs other Linebackers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Keyshaun Elliott (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
143.4
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
17.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.