Utah coach Kyle Whittingham bullish on Broncos’ rookies Jonah Ellis, Devaughn Vele

Because of the fight song playing in the background at Big 12 Media Days, Kyle Whittingham became Joe Pesci in “My Cousin Vinny.” The Utah football coach happily obliged when asked about his former players on the Denver Broncos.

But was he talking about youths or Utes? It was hard to tell because it was hard to hear. Whittingham was a good sport.

“We’ve got six of them on the Broncos,” Whittingham said proudly of linebacker Cody Barton, left tackle Garett Bolles, edge rusher Jonah Elliss, receivers Tim Patrick and Devaughn Vele, and tight end Thomas Yassmin.

My interest was in his evaluation of the youths — rookies Elliss and Vele. For the Broncos to rebound in a meaningful way, they need more impactful young players.

“Jonah is explosive. His best days are definitely ahead of him. When we recruited him, he was 6-2, 195 pounds as a running back. He got up to 250 pounds and just became a terror off the edge,” said Whittingham, who played linebacker for the USFL’s Denver Gold. “I coached his dad, Luther. And he was 6-foot-6, 300 pounds, so I knew Jonah had growth potential. He was leading the nation in sacks before an injury. I am positive Denver is going to be thrilled with him.”

As for Vele, Whittingham sees what I see. The receiver looks a lot like Patrick.

“You get a lot of the same things you get in Timmy. A big, tall receiver with a basketball background who goes up and gets the contested ball,” Whittingham said. “He’s a tireless worker. A great character kid. There is nothing not to like about him.”

And what about Patrick? Can he return to form? He dealt successfully with adversity at Utah.

“His track record shows he has come back from things before,” Whittingham said. “So, I have no doubt he will do it again.”

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