Broncos Pick 64 Nik Bonitto LB Oklahoma

[megalodon30]

Good pick! I like it!

 

[PumpFake]

Now we’ve got this party started!!

 

[SpringStein]

BACKGROUND: Nikolas “Nik” Bonitto (bo-NEE-toe) grew up in southern Florida and originally attended University School, where he saw varsity action as a freshman in 2014. As a sophomore, he transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas, a private Catholic school and football powerhouse. Bonitto played on both sides of the ball, including some time at quarterback, but thrived as a defensive end and linebacker. As a senior, he finished with 73 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks and two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and was named the Sun Sentinel’s 2017 All-County Defensive Player of the Year. Bonitto helped lead St. Thomas Aquinas to back-to- back 7A state championships in 2015 and 2016. He was also a standout guard on the basketball court.
A four-star recruit out of high school, Bonitto was the No. 17 outside linebacker in the 2018 recruiting class and the No. 40 recruit in the state of Florida. His first offer was from Miami (Fla.) after his freshman year. Bonitto collected almost 30 offers and ultimately decided on Oklahoma over Alabama, Louisville and Texas, becoming the first football recruit from St. Thomas Aquinas to sign with the Sooners. He also received scholarship offers to play college basketball at Minnesota, Wake Forest and St. Louis, and several other programs discussed him playing both sports. Bonitto elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2022 NFL Draft. He also opted out of the bowl game.

STRENGTHS: Agile athlete ... eludes blockers with nimble feet and sharp pass rush angles ... uses a dip-and-rip or long-arm ghost move to soften the edge ... forward lean and balance are effective tools that help him stay detached from blockers ... hand/arm moves have shown improvement each season ... spin move is silky ... able to drop in space and chase down plays ... 70-yard fumble return was the team’s second-longest play (offense or defense) in 2021 ... OU coaches have commended his maturation over the past few years after he found himself in the doghouse as a freshman ... lived in enemy territory (35.9 percent of his tackles the past two seasons came in the opponent’s backfield) ... experienced as a stand-up edge rusher and spying linebacker.
WEAKNESSES: Thin legs, and he doesn’t have an ideal build by NFL standards ... marginal play strength at contact ... needs to weaponize his hands ... inconsistent in his speed-to-power transition ... rudimentary pass rush sequence ... non-threatening punch as an edge-setter ... finds himself lost in the crowd, taking himself out of plays ... faulty anchor and will end up where the blocker wants when they lock on ... late to read keys as a linebacker and attacks before processing ... doesn’t have experience dropping in man coverage ... low tackle numbers, averaging only 3.2 tackles per game over the past two seasons ... avoided major injury in college but missed time as a high school junior because of a tear in his left ankle (December 2016).
SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Oklahoma, Bonitto played the stand-up “Rush” linebacker position in former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s 3-3-5 base scheme. Despite never leading the Sooners in sacks, he consistently finished among the FBS leaders in pressures, and his 28.9 percent pass rush win rate was No. 1 in 2021, according to PFF. Bonitto is an active athlete and shows a natural feel for shaking blockers thanks to his agility and instincts to attack the pocket from different angles. However, he can be engulfed by size on the edge and must weaponize his hands to consistently defeat NFL blockers. Overall, Bonitto is a hybrid player and must develop his play strength to find a full-time role, but he affects the quarterback and uses his quick feet and fluid body movement to keep blockers from centering him up. He projects best as a stand-up linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

 

[SpringStein]

Also from Brugler’s after the pick:
Bonitto (6-foot-3, 248) had 18.5 sacks, 32 tackles for loss and nine passes defended in 36 games the past three seasons.He had the highest pressure rate (22%), the highest quick pressure rate (12%) and the second-highest true pressure rate (23%) among edge defenders in this year’s class.

Bonitto ran a 4.54, and his three-cone time ranked in the 76th percentile. I see a bendy edge rusher who can get after the passer and spy mobile quarterbacks. He was one of my favorite Day 2 prospects. I love this pick for the Broncos.

 

[SpringStein]

That was actually from Sheil Kapadia at The Athletic, not Brugler.

 

[PumpFake]

1. Nik Bonitto, Edge, Oklahoma
   Strengths: Elite short-area quickness and burst, easily slips off blocks, lateral agility to move and shoot gaps all over front
   Weaknesses: Slight frame, can be overwhelmed at the point of attack, hands don't jolt blockers
   At the NFL combine, Oklahoma edge-rusher Nik Bonitto succinctly described his mindset whenever he's on the field.
   "I'm just going to go balls-to-the-wall every play and kill everybody who's in front of me," Bonitto told reporters.
   Bonitto's impression of The Program's Alvin Mack aside, he's easily one of the best natural edge-rushers in the class. The question is whether the 6'3", 248-pound defender will provide anything more than that.
   Purely as a situational pass-rusher, Bonitto should excel in the NFL. He led college football in pass-rush grade during the 2020 campaign, and he followed that up with the best pass-rush win rate among any player with 250 or more pass-rush snaps in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus (h/t NFL Network's Ben Fennell).
   His win rate last season (with screens, play-action passes and designed rollouts excluded) matched or bettered Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson, Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux, Purdue's George Karlaftis, Florida State's Jermaine Johnson II and Georgia's Travon Walker, per PFF's Ben Linsey.
   Bonitto is a natural fit in Ejiro Evero’s defensive scheme, which he brings to the Denver Broncos from the Los Angeles Rams. The undersized edge is perfectly built to play outside linebacker. He also adds significant juice as a pass-rusher.
   The Broncos already feature Bradley Chubb and Malik Reed, but Bonitto is far more flexible than both with some exceptional athletic traits.
   
   Grade: B

 

[megalodon30]

Nik Bonitto succinctly described his mindset whenever he's on the field.
"I'm just going to go balls-to-the-wall every play and kill everybody who's in front of me,"

Absolutely love it. “Kill everybody who’s in front of me.” That’s the attitude a linebacker needs to have. I’m excited to watch this kid play!

 

[PumpFake]

 

[listopencil]

The phone call was mildly amusing:


Ejiro Evero: Let's get ready to set that damn edge, right? It starts with stopping the run.
Nik Bonitto: *giggles* Yes, sir, no doubt. *giggles*

 

[BHamita]

As soon as Chubb/Gregory prove healthy enough, Reed gets moves for a 2023 mid/late rounder.

 

[megalodon30]

As soon as Chubb/Gregory prove healthy enough, Reed gets moves for a 2023 mid/late rounder.

Keep Reed, trade Chubb. Chubb has never proved healthy.

 

[Mingo]

Keep Reed, trade Chubb. Chubb has never proved healthy.

The cool thing is you can move Chubb and Gregory inside and flank them with Browning and Benitto in obvious pass situations.

 

[CEH]

not sure how much he will play on first and he be down but on 3rd down he can rush the passer
explosive first step
has bend like Von

was interesting our DC on the call to him choose to say “ready to set the edge. have to stop the run in this league”

nfl.com projects him as a plus starter
let’s hope Paton hits on this

 

[Draft Crazy]

As soon as Chubb/Gregory prove healthy enough, Reed gets moves for a 2023 mid/late rounder.

I think we need to keep Reed on the roster this year barring Mintze or Allen or someone really jumping over him. We need all the pass rushers we can find... Feel more likely Reed ends up leaving via FA after this year then we trade him before the season but there is a possibility of the other guys behind him moving ahead of him.

Cooper should be ahead of him. I like what Reed does but we can't rely on him as much as we have in recent years with injuries.

 

[Draft Crazy]

With us having no 1st round pick it just makes you wonder if the expectations from people with Bonitto is that of a first round pick. (and he was 1 pick away from a 3rd rounder)

 

[BHamita]

I think we need to keep Reed on the roster this year barring Mintze or Allen or someone really jumping over him. We need all the pass rushers we can find... Feel more likely Reed ends up leaving via FA after this year then we trade him before the season but there is a possibility of the other guys behind him moving ahead of him.

Cooper should be ahead of him. I like what Reed does but we can't rely on him as much as we have in recent years with injuries.

Chubb
Gregory
Cooper
Bonito
Browning(if he really stays here)

Risky to let Reed go? Probably. You could easily add a 6th here and let Browning swing outside and inside.

Here is to Chris Allen staying healthy and living up to some potential.

 

[Draft Crazy]

I'm just saying I wouldn't trade Reed away right now. If it becomes a numbers game during preseason then I would take something for him. I would let it play out, go through a camp and make sure you are set. Quite a few of these guys on above list have had some injury concerns.

Will be interesting if Mintze develops anymore. Sadly for him, last year was basically a redshirt due to injuries after a good PS. With the injuries and trade of Miller last year he would have had a golden opportunity.

I would wait see what Allen and Mintze do in camp then feel more comfortable.

 

[BHamita]

I'm just saying I wouldn't trade Reed away right now. If it becomes a numbers game during preseason then I would take something for him. I would let it play out, go through a camp and make sure you are set. Quite a few of these guys on above list have had some injury concerns.

Will be interesting if Mintze develops anymore. Sadly for him, last year was basically a redshirt due to injuries after a good PS. With the injuries and trade of Miller last year he would have had a golden opportunity.

Oh, I agree there. Too many injured horses to trade Reed at the moment.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Oh, I agree there. Too many injured horses to trade Reed at the moment.

REALLY hope Allen can stay healthy though because if he does and has a good camp I do like your idea. Reed will be an UFA after the season so if we don't really have a role for him it makes sense for us to get something in return... He is good depth but we have had to rely on him a little too much the last few years because of injuries. I don't want to have to depend on him starting or anything like that.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Who votes Ben pulls a PumpFake and returns to his mouthoff family long term?