NFL world reacts to Bears picking Keyshaun Elliott in 2026 NFL Draft

After making a trade with the Carolina Panthers to move up in the fourth round, the Chicago Bears waited to make their pick in the fifth round and brought in another defensive playmaker, selecting linebacker Keyshaun Elliott out of Arizona State with the 166th overall pick. This is the third selection on defense that the Bears have made in this year’s draft, including safety Dillon Thieneman (first round), cornerback Malik Muhammad (fourth round), who the team traded up to get at pick No. 124, and now Elliott. Elliott will join the Bears linebacker room that is filled with veterans, led by T.J. Edwards, Devin Bush, D’Marco Jackson, and Jack Sanborn. It is the second straight year in which the Bears have drafted a linebacker, after they selected Ruben Hyppolite II in the fourth round last year. The Arizona State product will likely see his first opportunities to make an impact on special teams, while also having plenty of veteran leaders to learn from. Here’s how the NFL world reacted to the Bears’ selection of Keyshaun Elliott:

NFL world reacts to Bears selecting LB Keyshaun Elliott in 2026 NFL Draft

Ryan Poles has drafted every position except for DL pic.twitter.com/eI1FKYABDN

— ThienemanSZN (@ThienemanSZN) April 25, 2026 Linebacker depth is a little scarce for Chicago, so the Keyshaun Elliott selection makes sense. Not some super athletic guy, but a solid run stopper who also showed an ability to get after the QB last season with 7 sacks.

— Matt Eurich (@MattEurich) April 25, 2026 The #Bears add some value on special teams with Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott at No. 176 overall

Physical LB with impressive blitzing ability. Don't know how high the athletic ceiling or coverage skills are, but he'll be a good third-phase type of guy

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) Keyshaun Elliott is high character instinctual LB. Good size and speed.