Broncos 3rd-Round OLB Makes Impressive Bo Nix Comment

Jonah Elliss' Utah Utes faced Bo Nix's Oregon Ducks twice. Nix went 2-0 vs. Utah.

Oct 28, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix (10) drops back to pass / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos' second pick in the 2024 NFL draft had some legacy attached to it. With the No. 76 pick (third round), the Broncos selected Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss, whose father, Luther, suited up for the Broncos in 2004.

Playing at Utah in the PAC-12, Elliss went up against Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks twice. The Utes came out on the losing end in both matchups, but Elliss knows a thing or two about what Nix brings to the table, offering a preview of sorts when he was asked about the former Oregon star being his new teammate in Denver.

“It’s going to be awesome. I know he’s a quarterback who threw the ball really fast," Elliss said following Day 2 of the draft. "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.”

Indeed, Nix's release and penchant for getting the ball out quickly and on time was part of what attracted Sean Payton and the Broncos to him. Nix may not have elite arm strength, but he's got a smooth, quick release, and his preparation and quick processor allows him to be a "point guard on the grass."

That's the type of QB Payton covets. Add in Nix's football character and IQ, his athleticism, and accuracy, and he made for an ideal fit for Payton and the Broncos.

Many draftniks were surprised by Denver taking Nix at No. 12 overall, but it's mostly shade of the sour-grapes variety. Anyone paying attention at the local level in the Mile High City could see the obvious Nix-to-Denver connections pre-draft, and the truth was, the former Heisman Trophy finalist wasn't going to be around by the time the Broncos were next on the clock in Round 3.

Those same attributes that attracted the Broncos had the opposite effect on Nix's collegiate opponents, who came away from their matchups against Oregon frustrated, more often than not.

"It was really frustrating playing against him because any time I was close, he would get rid of the ball," Elliss said of Nix.

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As former PAC-12 rivals, it'll be fun to watch Nix and Elliss develop together in Denver — albeit on opposite sides of the field. Both players have deep football roots and an impressive pedigree.

Nix's father, Patrick, was a record-breaking quarterback at Auburn. Bo grew up a massive Tigers fan, subsequently, dreaming more of playing quarterback at Auburn than suiting up in the NFL, according to his mother, Krista.

Bo fulfilled his life-long dream, becoming a five-star quarterback who started at Auburn as a true freshman. After a promising start at Auburn, Nix transferred to Oregon following the 2021 season due to a "miserable" experience playing for then-head coach Brian Harsin, who'd been hired ahead of Bo's junior season.

Nix suffered under Harsin for only one year and went on to achieve great things at Oregon following his transfer. Meanwhile, Harsin flamed out at Auburn amid controversy, being fired after less than two full seasons.

As for Elliss, his father, Luther, is a former NFL first-round pick who spent the 2004 season as the Broncos' team chaplain. Luther recorded two sacks and seven tackles as a rotational player on Denver's defensive line in '04.

Both Luther and Jonah starred at the University of Utah, and the new Broncos rush linebacker has several football-playing brothers, one of whom — Kaden — was a 2019 New Orleans Saints draft pick when Payton was the head coach. While Luther's stop in Denver was brief, the team's connections to the Elliss name, combined with Payton's history with Kaden, made the Jonah pick unique.

Adding further to the unique qualities of the Nix and Elliss picks, the Broncos drafted two players from each school last weekend. In the fourth round, Denver traded up to select Nix's No. 1 target at Oregon, Troy Franklin, while Elliss' Utah teammate Devaughn Vele was drafted in the seventh round to further bolster the wide receiver room.

Coach Payton spoke about how the stars aligned for the Broncos to take a pair of Ducks and Utes in this year's draft and also the realities of Nix, Elliss, Franklin, and Vele having to start anew in the NFL.

"We have teammates from Utah, you know yesterday with Elliss [and Vele]," Payton said on April 27. "Then when it’s a quarterback and receiver, it certainly can’t hurt, but I think as they leave the college game where they were stars and starters in their own right there, I think they begin a new journey. I think maybe a couple of years, three years down the road, hopefully you’ll be able to see… I know a lot is made of the cohesiveness and all of that, but when they arrive here, they start all over."

Elliss and Nix will soon join Vele and Franklin, along with the rest of their fellow 2024 draftees, when the Broncos host their rookie minicamp at Centura Health Training Center on May 10.

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