What does Jonah Elliss bring to Sean Payton's Denver Broncos?

Where does Jonah fit in Denver?

Elliss has a great arsenal of pass-rush moves. He’s bursty enough to get the edge. He’s strong enough to rip or duck inside and win. His spin move is special. Really special.

You can’t argue with the results. He’s one of two Power 5 players who had at least 12 sacks last season. The other was Laiatu Latu of UCLA, the first edge rusher off the board in the draft.

The question is whether his success will translate against next-level tackles, like the ones he faced in the Washington game. At 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, he’s slightly undersized. That leaves him at a disadvantage. It’s worth remembering that the Broncos’ edge rushers aren’t a particularly big group, though. Jonathon Cooper is listed at 257 pounds, but Nik Bonitto and Baron Browning are only 240 pounds. Drew Sanders is 233 pounds. The big bodies, Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory, are gone.

Elliss turned 21 in April. His body could fill out more. He’s put on 14 pounds over the past two years. He could put on another dozen and be considered a bigger outside backer. If that’s the case, he could be a great fit as an end in the Broncos’ nickel defense. If he’s stout enough to push tackles backward in the running game and hold his ground against double-teams, the Broncos could have a very valuable player on their hands.

Elliss doesn’t figure to be an elite run-stuffer right away though. Setting the edge against NFL tackles will be a challenge. If you’re looking for hope, remember that Von Miller entered the NFL with similar concerns in the run game. Miller was only half an inch and two pounds bigger than Elliss, but turned out to be a force in the ground game. Expecting Elliss to be Miller is obviously crazy, but Miller is proof that 250-pounders can be capable run defenders from the edge spot.

Elliss should provide an immediate spark to the Broncos’ edge-rushing group. I believe there’s a world in which he is the team’s most-productive rusher in his rookie season, although betting on Browning or Bonitto is probably safer. Regardless, he’ll receive plenty of opportunities.

Elliss played defensive end at Utah, so his transition to outside linebacker in the Broncos’ 3-4 system might take some time. I don’t expect to see him on the field in the Broncos’ base defense early in the season. They have plenty of other options, and there’s no need to force him onto the field before he’s ready. His reps should come in the nickel defense and expand from there.

If Elliss doesn’t receive the primary pass-rushing reps on the edge immediately, he could make sense as an interior rusher, where his spin move should devastate guards and centers.

Elliss is a smart, well-coached prospect, who is coming off one of the most dominant seasons of any rusher in the nation. He feels like a completed project, but he isn’t. There’s still room for growth, but he starts with a high floor. Even if NFL length turns out to be his kryptonite as a rusher, there are plenty of poor tackles in the NFL and Elliss has proven he can have a field day against them.

If Elliss fills out without losing his burst, he could be a versatile rusher with a signature spin move who produces double-digit sacks every year. That’s why the Broncos added him to an already-deep group.

If you want to get even more excited, this video will do the trick…

Click here for our Bo Nix Film Room!

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5