From Bulldog to Saint: Kaden Ellis makes the NFL

By Josh Icasiano and Sam Maxwell

On April 27, 2019, a former Bulldog’s dreams came true. Kaden Elliss (JM ‘14) was taken in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Some would say that dream ended when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the season, but not Kaden. 

When asked about the injury, Kaden said, “No worries. I know God’s got it.” 

Despite the setback he’s staying optimistic about his situation because of his faith in God – which is no surpise to the people who knew him when he was a student-athlete at Judge where he founded a chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. 

Kaden came to Judge Memorial as a sophomore, and began playing sports as soon as he could. At Judge he played football, basketball, and track and field. He was a dominant athlete in all sports that he participated in, but he stood out the most on the football field. 

He was the starting quarterback, but played almost all positions, on both sides of the ball, according to former head coach James Cordova. His senior year, he won the Utah 3A Player of the Year award, and led his team to their first state championship since 1983.

“My best memory at Judge was probably developing a state championship caliber football program,” Kaden said. “We worked our tails off. I can guarantee we worked harder than everyone in the state during those off seasons, and it paid off with my class winning a title, and then the class after us doing to same. That was special.”

When asked about the 2013 state championship game, Mr. Cordova had the following to say: “In his senior year in the state championship game. We were down at halftime. Kaden took it on himself, and just took over the game on both sides of the ball. He ran over, around, past people. He knocked, passed down, made tackles, and it was a snow covered game and he just elevated the level of play of that game for himself and really was the difference maker.”

After Kaden’s senior season, he was still looking for an opportunity to play at the next level. 

As the son of Luther Elliss, a ten-year NFL pro and former All-American at the University of Utah, it might  seem obvious that Kaden would be a star in college and play in the NFL too. But Kaden’s path wasn’t so smooth.

“Former Utah assistant coach Dennis Erickson wanted very badly for the University of Utah to offer him a scholarship,” Cordova said when asked about Kaden’s recruitment. “He knew what kind of athlete Kayden was going to be, but Utah just didn’t quite see where he fit.”

Kaden never did receive a scholarship offer from Utah, but the three schools that had offered him – Idaho, Weber State, and Idaho State – each had a large interest in signing Kaden. Kaden contemplated his options carefully and eventually decided to sign with the Vandals at the University of Idaho.

“Idaho came knocking but he had to actually sit out fall of his freshman year because they didn’t have a scholarship to give him. But once Kaden was on the team he started from the time he walked on campus until he walked off,” Cordova said.

Kaden proved to be a key asset for the Vandals. He recorded 289 total tackles throughout his time at Idaho, 47 of which were tackles for a loss, and he had four interceptions. But he didn’t just play defense. Just as in high school, Kaden’s athleticism was used all over the field. 

“I think I played everything on defense, besides safety, at one point or another,” Kaden said. “Then on offense I played wide receiver, slot, I would line up in the backfield and I played some tight end.”

The Saints were impressed with Kaden's accomplishments and with his pro-day workout performances as well. Because of this, they decided to make him a part of their team. This also made him the first ever Judge Memorial alumni to be drafted into the NFL. 

Kaden worked his way through rookie minicamp and the Saints training camp. The work seemed to have paid off for Kaden as he was signed to the Saint’s active 53-man roster after training camp, meaning he would be suiting up on Sundays, something he had worked his absolute hardest to get. 

Kaden played all throughout the four New Orleans pre-season games, along with the first few games of the regular season. Although he wasn’t a regular season starter, Kaden made the most of the playing time he did get, whether it was on defense or special teams. 

But in the Saints’ third showdown of the year, a road game against the Seattle Seahawks, Kaden left the game with a knee injury. Although he was initially ruled as questionable to return to the game, he was held out and later placed on the team’s injury reserve list, and ruled out for the remainder of the 2019 season. 

Although it was a very tough reality, Kaden stayed positive. As an athlete full of faith, Kaden is an example of how an athlete should not only involve faith in their everyday life, but in their sport as well.

“In college when he scored touchdowns and when he made an interception in camp for the Saints, his end zone celebration was that he kisses his hand and points up to God because of his God-given talent,” coach Cordova said. 

When asked about how he got to the position he’s in, Kaden said, “I can say 100% that I am where I am today because of the Lord Jesus Christ. He designed me. He’s loved me. He’s guided me every step along the way, and He continues to do so. Like Paul writes, my boast is in HIM!”

Through faith and hard work, Kaden is determined to be the best version of himself that he can be, on and off the football field. He is expected to be back and ready for action for the upcoming 2020 NFL season, and could play a key role for the Saints on defense. 

On and off the field, there is no greater example of what it means to be a Judge Memorial athlete than Kaden Elliss.