ENGLEWOOD – There was plenty of Broncos history that surfaced Friday night.

At the NFL draft in Detroit, former Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler announced that the son of former Denver player Luther Elliss has joined the team. With the No. 76 pick in the third round, the Broncos selected Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss.

Luther and Jonah have become another father-son combination in team history. The Elliss’ follow the Grahams, with linebacker Tom Graham having played for the Broncos from 1972-74 and tight end Daniel Graham being with them from 2007-10.

“Honestly, my heart dropped,’’ Elliss said of getting the phone call from the Broncos that he had been selected. “It’s so exciting. I have a big smile on my face.”

Elliss had 12 sacks in 10 games for the Utes last season before missing the final three games due to shoulder surgery. He missed his pro day and the NFL scouting combine but said he has been “fully cleared” from a medical standpoint. General manager George Paton said the Broncos are “very comfortable with” his medicals.

Luther Elliss was a Pro Bowl Detroit defensive tackle from 1995-2003 before finishing his career with the Broncos in 2004 with two sacks in eight games. He then served as team chaplain from 2015-16.

“He just told me how great of a culture, how great of a fan base and how it was really a family vibe out there,’’ Jonah Elliss said of his father’s time with the Broncos. “Honestly, the culture is something that he mentioned a lot and how it’s a really good bond out there.”

Elliss lived in Denver for a year when his father was the Broncos’ chaplain.

“It was really awesome just to see my dad start to get back into football,’’ Elliss said. “Even though he was just the chaplain at the time, you see that his love for the sport really just lights him up.”

The Elllis’ have quite the football family. Elliss has three brothers in the NFL in Atlanta linebacker Kaden Elliss, New England linebacker Christian Elliss and Philadelphia defensive tackle Noah Elliss.

Kaden has played in the NFL since 2019, including spending 2019-21 with the New Orleans Saints under current Denver coach Sean Payton.

“Kaden told me how much he loved (Payton), so I’m just really excited to get out there and work for him,’’ Elliss said.

Scheffler, a Morenci, Mich. native, played in college at Western Michigan and was with the Broncos from 2006-09 before finishing his career from 2010-13 with the Lions. He enthusiastically announced Denver’s pick while paying nod to Mike Shanahan, his former Broncos coach, and quarterback Bo Nix, taken with the No. 12 pick Thursday by Denver.

“Put Mike Shanahan in the Hall of Fame. Let’s go Broncos. God bless Bo Nix,’’ Scheffler, dressed in a Broncos jacket and orange tie, said before announcing Elliss’ name.

The Broncos are looking for Elliss to provide some additional pass rushing. They already have young edge rushers Jonathon Cooper, Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto

“You’re never afraid to draft on top of your strengths,” Payton said. “We’ll sort that out. It’s always a harder position to find in the offseason and in free agency and so we felt like he definitely checked the pressure-player box.”

Paton said the Broncos might have traded back in the third round had Elliss not been available. Paton said that “Jonah was just too good to pass.” Payton said Elliss has on the Broncos’ board a half-round higher than another player they were considering selecting.

“We do like the versatility and growth potential (of Ellias),” Payton said. “You put a blue tag on some of these guys. He had that.”

Elliss was the Broncos’ only pick Friday. They enter Saturday’s final day of the draft with six more selections.

Elliss said he tries to “replicate” his game after New York Jets edge rusher Haason Reddick. Elliss had a stretch last season in which he had eight sacks in four games.

“I really just had a burst of confidence,’’ Elliss said. “I put in a lot of work during the offseason to get better at pass rush. I’m obviously not perfect, but that’s something that I put a lot of time and effort into.”

Elliss, who said he still must work on aspects of the run game, later missed the last three games with a shoulder injury he said he initially sustained early in the season.

“(It) was unfortunate. … It’s something that you just have to fight through,’’ Elliss said.

Now, Elliss can’t wait to report to the team for which his father once played.