Former ISU linebacker A.J. Klein was selected with the No. 15 pick (148 overall) in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. 

Klein was projected as a linebacker going somewhere in round three or four by many websites. After his strong NFL Combine performance, where he ran a 4.66 40-yard dash, improving his draft stock. 

CBSsports.com and nfldraftscout.com had Klein rated as the No. 4 inside linebacker in the class.

He will join a formidable linebacking core with Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and John Beason, who are listed as starters. 

In February at the NFL Combine, ESPN’s Todd McShay and Sports Illustrated’s Peter King both made references to Luke Kuechly as the standard for a linebacker of Klein’s build and ability, when talking about how to make an impact as a young linebacker in the NFL. 

Klein said he would be golfing in Kimberly, Wis., on Saturday. He is the first Cyclone drafted this year.