Jonah Elliss, Edge Utah: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Elliss was a three-star recruit from Moscow High School in Moscow, Idaho in the class of 2021

Utah Utes leading pass rusher Jonah Elliss earned First Team All-Pac-12 honors this season. The junior has a decision to make about the possibility of entering the 2024 NFL Draft. Elliss projects as a borderline top 100 pick.

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Jonah Elliss, Edge Utah: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior defensive end from Moscow, Idaho

Background: Elliss was a three-star recruit from Moscow High School in Moscow, Idaho in the class of 2021. He was the No. 1,072 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,096 for On3.com. Elliss was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 74 grade out of 100. He was the Inland Empire League Player of the Year as a high school senior and was a two-time All-League selection. Elliss led Moscow to two district titles. His father, Luther, was a First Team All-Conference selection and All-American for the Utes and was the 1994 Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was the 20th overall pick for the Detroit Lions in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played ten NFL seasons as a defensive tackle and made two Pro Bowls. Luther currently serves as Utah’s defensive tackles coach. Elliss’ brother, Kaden, was an All-Sun Belt and All-Big Sky linebacker for Idaho in 2017 and went on to be a seventh round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons. Another Elliss brother, Christian, was a First Team All-Big Sky linebacker and entered the NFL in 2021 as an undrafted free agent. He currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. Noah Elliss is also Jonah’s brother. Noah was an interior defensive lineman at Idaho who participated in the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl. He went undrafted and is currently on Philadelphia’s practice squad.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed three games in 2022

Awards: 2022 Honorable Mention All-Pac-12

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, NFL bloodlines, arm length meets thresholds, explosive off the line, tackles must respect his vertical push, good pad level at the point of contact to win the leverage battle, precise footwork helps with balance and agility, possibly the best spin move in the class, incredible balance, speed, tight spiral, and footwork in his spin move, overpowers blocking tight ends, long arms grant access to the tackle’s chest, occasional pop in hands, two-handed swipe, rip move, chains swipe into his rip, pushes vertical to open the B-gap, attacks inside rush lanes, snatch and pull to unbalance linemen and whip himself around the edge, enough bend to flatten rush angle to the quarterback, insane dominance vs. UCLA (2023), gets hands in passing lanes when he doesn’t get home, separates and redirects to the football, motor runs hot in pursuit, burst to make plays as a backside run defender, well conditioned to play plenty of snaps and maintain juice late in the game

Cons: Lean lower half, could pass as a tight end with his build, good but not great change of direction skills, rush stalls out when lineman makes first contact, struggled when short set by the tackle, struggles to play through the frames of stout linemen, pass rush plan isn’t diverse, lacks power rush plan, long-arm move lacks fangs, trouble breaking strong clamps, needs more fluid transitions on stunts, sometimes struggles to unlock hips for bend, limited number of clean wins against Washington’s tackles (2023), lacks elite power to anchor the point of attack, tackles can clamp and drive him off the ball, displaced by linemen working downhill, non-factor against double teams, gap integrity is hit or miss, sealed outside to open B-gap runs, fooled by ball fakes in the run game, Oregon State (2023) found success running at him

Overview: Elliss has special teams upside on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He primarily aligns as a 5-tech or wide-9 in a two-point stance for Utah. His NFL bloodlines and experience being coached by his Pro Bowl father are evident in his work ethic and excellent motor. Elliss appears to exceed arm length thresholds. He is explosive off the line and quickly threatens tackles vertically. This causes linemen to open the B-gap, which Elliss redirects into or takes advantage of with an inside spin move. He maintains a good pad level at the point of contact to win the leverage battle. Elliss is an undersized pass rusher, but his footwork and balance help him stay upright when facing stronger opponents. Tight ends can’t block him. His pass rush plan includes the best spin move in the 2024 class, a two-handed swipe, rip move, and a swipe-rip. He will need to diversify this pass rush arsenal to find continued success in the NFL. The junior also uses a snatch and pull to unbalance linemen and whip himself around the edge. His long arms help him access the tackle’s chest, and he occasionally displays pop in his hands. Elliss doesn’t have elite bend, but he can flatten his rush angle to the quarterback. There are times when he struggles to unlock his hips. The Idaho native gets his hands in passing lanes when he doesn’t get home. He separates and redirects to the football using his long arms and motor. Elliss has the burst to make plays as a backside run defender and the speed to chase ball carriers downfield. The former three-star recruit needs to improve his play strength. He has a lean lower half and a build that could pass for a tight end. His pass rush stalls out when the offensive lineman makes first contact. He struggles when short set by tackles and doesn’t play through the frames of stout linemen. Elliss doesn’t have a developed set of power rush moves. His long-arm move lacks any venom, and he struggles to break powerful clamps. He doesn’t have the build or power to hold the point of attack consistently. Tackles can clamp down and drive him off the line, and he offers nothing against double teams. Elliss’ gap integrity is hit or miss, and offenses have success sealing him outside to open running lanes in the B-gap. Oregon State (2023) ran at him early and often. Elliss is fooled by ball fakes in the run game when he gets into the backfield. He has good but not great change of direction skills, which limit his momentum and speed on stunts. His dominance in the run and pass game against UCLA (2023) is contrasted by his performance against Washington (2023), when he was largely a non-factor in both areas.

Overall, Elliss is an explosive but undersized sack artist with a small set of highly polished pass rush moves. Teams will question his ability to play three downs and hold up against the run. Another year in college could benefit Elliss, but he already has the tools and athletic upside to be a borderline top 100 pick.

Role & Scheme Fit: Early-career designated pass rusher in a 3-4 scheme

Round Projection: Late Third to Early Fourth

Size: 6'2", 246 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 11-18-23