DETROIT, Mich. — Looking to beef up their defense, the Denver Broncos selected Utah defensive end Jonah Elliss with the 76th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Elliss led the Utes with 16 tackles for loss and made first-team All-Pac-12 Conference. He was also a finalist for the Lombardi Award (given to the nation's top college OL/DL) and Ted Hendricks Award (given to the nation's top DE).
The Elliss family is no stranger to the National Football League. Jonah's father, Luther Elliss, was once the NFL's highest-paid defensive tackle while playing for the Detroit Lions for nine seasons, according to the Associated Press. Luther Elliss played his final season in Denver in 2004. Then, in 2015, Luther came back to the Broncos to serve as team chaplain during their last Super Bowl season, according to the AP.
Jonah's three brothers are also in the NFL — Kaden Elliss with the Atlanta Falcons, Christian Elliss with the New England Patriots and Noah Elliss with the Philadelphia Eagles. Kaden was drafted by now Broncos head coach Sean Payton during his time in New Orleans, according to the AP.
Elliss will join incoming quarterback Bo Nix, who was drafted No. 12 overall Thursday night.
Sean Payton clearly believes Nix is the quarterback of the future for Denver, and so did everyone else. This was the worst-kept secret in football, apparently. Maybe Payton saw a little Drew Brees in Nix's game. Nix also stands a full two inches taller than Brees, but two inches a Hall of Fame career does not make.
Other pundits called Nix a "football supercomputer" and a "gamer" — all things that Payton obviously coveted in a QB he could mold in his image.
