Jonah Elliss scouting report: Exploring the Utah edge defender's strengths and weaknesses

The son of an All-American for Utah from 1991-94 in Luther Elliss, brother of Saints linebacker Kaden and two other NFL players, Jonah Elliss joined with father’s footsteps with the Utes as a three-star recruit in 2021.

Jonah Elliss' playing time and production increased all three years with the program. His 37 tackles, 16 TFLs, 12 sacks, three passes batted down the line and one forced fumble earned him second-team All-American recognition.

Profile: 6-foot-2, 245 pounds; JR.

Breaking down Jonah Elliss' scouting report

Jonah Elliss: NFL Combine

Run defense:

• Presents a well filled-out frame and capable of standing up tackles in the run game
• Consistently is able to fit his hands inside the chest of blockers at the point of attack in order to set a firm edge
• Was asked to line up at a 4i- and 5-technique quite a bit and worked hard to not be reach-blocked or scooped up as the offense draws up quick combos against him
• Showcases excellent mobility down the line when he’s on the backside of zone concepts
• Happily accelerates into pulling guards and squeezes down lanes inside as the offense wants to kick him out
• Recognizes opportunities to spin inside as the ball-carrier gets upfield to get involved on the tackle
• When unblocked on the backside of zone concepts, Elliss patiently shuffles along with his shoulders parallel to the line of scrimmage, to be ready for bootlegs and reverses
• His PFF grade has improved by 11+ points each over the past three seasons (84.8 in 2023)

Pass-rush:

• Displays an impressive ability to get his hips flipped towards the quarterback after threatening up the field
• His flexibility in the lower half to dip around the corner – often times paired with an effective rip-through – or circle back as the quarterback steps up really stands out
• Packs an impressively rapid spin move, best utilized when he gives a little jab inside, then steps through and initiates the movement back across the tackle’s face
• When he gains some distance to the tackle after the initial move is over, how he can swipe away the next punch and get low to work around the man leads to plenty of secondary wins
• Thanks to his short-area burst, you rarely see quarterbacks be able to get outside of Elliss if he feels like the guy is engaged too much with his blocker
• Recognizes and pushes down cut-block attempts in the quick game, before getting his arms up in the passing lane
• Was used as a spinner over the center and even off-ball blitzer a few times and his ability to squeeze past or slide off contact even when there isn’t a lot of space was on display
• Just continues to work and make the quarterback uncomfortable back there and his pursuit all across the field as they get into scramble-mode or the ball comes early, is top-level
• Along with his 39 combined pressures (across 332 pass-rush snaps), Jonah Elliss logged 29(!) additional pass-rush wins last season – which is more indicative for his ability to beat blockers, since they did rush three and slid an extra pair of hands his way quite regularly

Weaknesses:

• Gets his eyes trapped inside blockers and can't contain at times against fast ball-carriers just bouncing around him, as well as be reckless with just shooting inside of anybody working towards him behind the line of scrimmage
• Could be labelled a somewhat position-less player, because he’s too small for playing inside at the pro level, but might also not have the pure speed to win off the edge consistently
• Way too often has pass-rush reps against tackles dictated to him at the initial phase of interaction, as they land their outside hand into his chest
• Has a really tough time disengaging from interior pass-protectors once those guys snatch cloth on him, where his wide shoulders don’t help in terms of surface area to grab
• Can still do a better job of attacking half the man, setting up and stringing together moves throughout matchups

Jonah Elliss' 2024 NFL Draft prospect

Jonah Elliss was one of the most fun edge defenders to watch, because his motor was always revving and he’d be looking for different ways to disengage from blocks in order to “make plays”. He sort of reminded me of a (slightly) less athletic version of Maxx Crosby in that way, although rushing more from a two-point stance.

He’ll need to become more reliable with his contain responsibility if he wants to see the field on early downs and to fulfill his potential as a pass-rusher, defeating the initial punch of tackles so his initial approach can hit more regularly will be key, instead of always having to get to secondary moves or resort to going through those blockers.

With that being said, I think he can be a very useful player right away for whoever drafts him, thanks to his alignment versatility in defined dropback situations and the potential he shows as a run-defender thanks to his upper-body strength and effort when the ball isn’t coming his way. Jonah Elliss' toughness should be commended for playing through the final four games where he could barely use his left arm due to a shoulder injury.

I expect Jonah Elliss to come off the board some time in the middle of Day 2.

Grade: Top 50