ASU Football: OL Christian Westerman selected by Bengals in 5th round of NFL Draft

Christian Westerman was the first member of the Arizona State Sun Devils drafted Saturday as the Cincinnati Bengals selected Westerman with the 24th pick of the 5th round on the second day of the NFL Draft.

It was a longer wait than initially thought for Westerman, who was a projected Day 2 pick expected to go anywhere from late in the second round to the third round.

The Chandler, Ariz., native began his collegiate career with the Auburn Tigers before transferring to ASU prior to the 2012 season. After sitting out a year, Westerman started 25 games over the past two seasons at guard for the Sun Devils. The former 5-star recruit was a 2015 Second Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2015 and is known as one of the strongest players in college football.

The Sun Devils have had a guard taken in each of the last two drafts as Jamil Douglas was selected by Miami in 2015. Westerman is expected to stay at guard at the next level, however he could also play center if needed.