Elliott will get long look against Chiefs

Winston Moss calls the rookie deceptive. At 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott doesn't necessarily look like he's moving fast.

But looks can fool you.

Around the edge, there has been no disputing Elliott's explosiveness this preseason. The undrafted rookie from Toledo has four sacks in his past two preseason games, tied for the league lead. Clearly, he's captured the attention of everyone around him, starting with his position coach.

"His athleticism, his speed, he's a little deceptive in that he's a glider," Moss said. "It doesn't look like it, but he's moving a lot faster, and being able to work against him in the individual drills, he's a lot stronger than you anticipate as well. That's very deceiving.

"He's been productive."

Productive may be an understatement.

After three sacks in a four-play span against the St. Louis Rams, the question last week was how Elliott would build off his performance. He answered in resounding fashion, finishing with another sack and a batted down pass against the Raiders.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers stopped short of admitting Elliott has surprised him. Even if Elliott was a long shot to make the roster before camp opened, the Packers signed him for a reason.

Still, it would seem impossible for Green Bay to expect anything more than what Elliott has shown through three preseason weeks.

"You never know how fast a guy's going to pick things up," Capers said. "And now, it was rare in the St. Louis game, what he did there. But he did, he followed up and got another sack this last week. So it will be interesting to watch to see how he does Thursday night. Let's see if he can follow it up with more production."

Elliott will get plenty of opportunities to show what he can do when the Packers host the Kansas City Chiefs for their final preseason game Thursday, two days before the NFL deadline for rosters to be cut to 53 players.

His reps increased against the Raiders last weekend. Packers coach Mike McCarthy said they will increase once more against the Chiefs.

"I think Elliott's a great example of a young man given an opportunity," McCarthy said. "Obviously, three sacks in (four) plays, that doesn't happen every day. That just shows you his ability. I think he's gradually improved throughout his time here. When he's been given a chance, he's stepped up.

"Obviously played a lot more this past week against Oakland, and he'll play more than he ever has against Kansas City – both special teams and defense."

-- rwood@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ByRyanWood