After being picked by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft out of Utah in April, pass rusher Jonah Elliss reported to rookie minicamp last month and quickly made a good impression.
“Good. Really good,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said on May 11 when asked for his initial impressions of Elliss. “I told you the story after the draft, [the New Orleans Saints] had a chance to draft his brother [Kaden Elliss in 2019]. It’s a great family. [Their] father was a fantastic player.
“He was a target. It’s hard for him to finish rushing the passer in some of these drills, but he has good football makeup, he’s tough. We felt like we had to get past the Falcons. His brother is now in Atlanta, Terry Fontenot [formerly of the Saints] is now in Atlanta. We sat there for however long, and fortunately we were able to draft him. He’s had a good first two days.”
Elliss had a breakout season as a junior last fall with 16 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 12 sacks in 10 games. It’s safe to say he’s happy to have landed in Denver.
“It’s been awesome,” Elliss said. “The coaches know what they are doing and are treating us well. They’re always trying to put us first, so that’s a huge positive. The culture here already is awesome.”
Elliss will be competing for snaps with Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto and Drew Sanders (when he’s healthy). Competition aside, Elliss likes the family-like culture the Broncos have built.
“It’s definitely a tight, tight group,” the rookie said. “You can tell the coaches get along very well and you can tell that Sean Payton has done a really good job of harboring that family environment. That’s what I really like.”
Elliss will report for mandatory minicamp next week. After a summer break, Denver is expected to begin training camp in late July, giving fans their first opportunity to see Elliss rushing the passer in person.
