The Denver Broncos might have gotten a steal when they picked Utah pass rusher Jonah Elliss in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.
After the draft, Broncos coach Sean Payton revealed that Denver had a second-round grade on Elliss, but the team didn’t hold a second-round pick. So they were delighted when he fell to them in the third round.
NFL teams might regret letting that happen.
Through two preseason games, Elliss has totaled six pressures and two sacks on 16 pass-rush snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Elliss’ pressures have also forced two interceptions, so it’s no surprise that he is PFF’s top-graded rookie pass rusher.
Jonah Elliss 💪 pic.twitter.com/KM57D2Dzrx
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) August 13, 2024
“I like his energy,” Payton said of Elliss after last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers. “I think they called the one roughing [penalty] on him. I kind of saw that and that was a tough call. He has a counter move. He’s someone that it’s not just one rush plan.
“He plays with passion and again I’m encouraged with the rookie class. A number of these guys have a chance to contribute, and we’ll just keep working with him. It’s good to see his progress, he got a lot of snaps tonight.”
Elliss totaled two pressures and one strip-sack against Green Bay.
Jonah Elliss with the strip sack. Dude is going to be a menace. pic.twitter.com/rCdvAiwZcu
— j (@thiz_justin) August 19, 2024
“The game’s definitely starting to slow down a little bit,” Elliss said of making the jump from college to the pros. “The way we practice is very intense. When you go out and practice, it honestly slows down in the game. Huge shout out to the coaching staff for putting that tension on in practice. When we get to the game, it’s actually slower.”
That Jonah Elliss spin move 🔥 https://t.co/w9t9kbeSIL
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) August 19, 2024
Elliss is currently the team’s fourth pass rusher behind Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto. There are plenty of rotational pass-rush snaps to go around, though, so Elliss will get opportunities to make an impact as a rookie.
The Broncos had a second-round grade on Jonah Elliss and he’s certainly looked the part through two preseason games.
📽️: @RespectMyCos pic.twitter.com/c2qGTUcT11
— Jon Heath (@ByJonHeath) August 21, 2024
Elliss has one more preseason game on deck against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, a game that will be nationally televised on CBS. After that, Elliss and his teammates will turn their attention toward a Week 1 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 8.
