Amid 'Reach' Criticism, Broncos HC Sean Payton Defends the Jonah Elliss Pick

The Denver Broncos aren't losing any sleep over the criticism that they reached on Jonah Elliss in Round 3.

Nov 4, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jacob Conover (15) has / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos are again being accused of reaching in the NFL draft after selecting Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss with pick No. 76 overall. The Elliss pick came on the heels of drafting Nix at No. 12 overall, which many draftniks panned as a 'reach.'

The naysayers have taken aim at the Broncos, but head coach Sean Payton filtered out any negative energy on Friday night, offering instead an optimistic answer on why the Broncos drafted Elliss in Round 3.

"There were a number of good players there at that point, but Jonah was too good to pass [on]" Payton said.

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The rangy 6-foot-2, 248-pound Ellis was productive at Utah, and the 21-year-old comes from a football family. Still, injuries restricted his draft stock, and those concerns will undoubtedly linger until Elliss proves otherwise.

When the pass rusher checked in with the media after becoming Denver's solitary pick on Day 2 of the draft, he was keen to address those injury concerns over his shoulder.

"Yes, definitely. The shoulder injury was unfortunate," Elliss said via conference call with local media on Friday night. "It happened earlier in the season, but it's something that you just have to fight through. Even then, I had a strong foundation to get through that." 

Ellis joins Bo Nix as the Broncos' two 'premium' draft picks in 2024. Elliss knows all too well how fast the Broncos' new franchise QB can process all the required nuances and get the ball out of his hand.

"It's going to be awesome," Elliss said of joining forces with Nix in Denver. "I know he's a quarterback who who threw the ball really fast. It was really frustrating playing against him because any time I was close, he would just get rid of the ball. I'm really excited to play with him. I know he's a great man too, a man of God, so I'm really excited to build that relationship with him, too."

Payton is looking to retool the roster with football players like Elliss — guys who can produce and bring impeccable character traits to the table.

"He's an edge player that, man, plays with energy, effort—all those things that you look for," Payton said after making the pick. "Real good football makeup. [Great] character."

Elliss freely admits his faith drives his football career, but even though his father Luther played in the NFL and once played for the Broncos (2004), the former Utah edge rusher doesn't spend a lot of time watching his old man's old film.

"Actually, I didn't watch too many of his highlights, but I do remember when we moved out to Colorado," Elliss said.

The Broncos were so intent on drafting Elliss that they shelved the idea of trading down. That speaks volumes to how much Payton believes that Elliss can improve on the 16 tackles for a loss, and 12 sacks he posted during his last year at Utah.

"We think there's upside and growth potential," Payton declared.

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