Cleveland Browns NFL Draft Profile: Nik Bonitto, EDGE Oklahoma
Whether the Cleveland Browns land a starting-caliber EDGE in free agency over the next week, they will need to address the position early in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Nik Bonitto out of Oklahoma is a name to consider.
Bonitto has been the most productive pass-rusher in college football over the past two seasons. He totaled 72 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, and 16 sacks in 21 games, and ranked first and third in PFF pass-rush grade in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
He was able to accomplish this thanks in large part to some great athletic traits. He's agile, quick, fast, and explosive. There are snaps where he looks more like a safety than he does a defensive end.
Nik Bonitto Relative Athletic Score
Physically, Bonitto matches up pretty well with Von Miller when he was coming out of Texas A&M. That is not to say that Bonitto possesses the same freakish quick-twitch and explosion that Miller had, but his traits are a lite version, and they have nearly identical heights and weights.
That doesn't mean that Bonitto will be anywhere close to as effective a pro as Miller was and is, but it does mean that there is precedence for an undersized athlete to make a consistent impact.
A key difference between Miller and Bonitto is that Miller had plenty of experience playing as a base end with his hand in the dirt. Bonitto was a standup rusher only for the Sooners and dropped into coverage on over 15% of his snaps in 2020 and 2021.
There is certainly a difference between a player being unable to play a role, and just not having been in that role before, but it should definitely be a consideration for the Browns. They seem to like a stronger run defender playing opposite Myles Garrett, and that is unlikely to ever be Bonitto's game. Against the run, he's definitely a gap shooter who aims to make tackles behind the line as opposed to anchoring and setting the edge.
Bonitto wins by using his speed to beat opposing tackles to their spot, and then using his excellent bend to turn the corner and keep his balance. He's shown a variety of moves he's capable of using, but typically just relies on getting past and under a tackle; shedding a block is not his thing, nor is deploying the bull rush, though he's done it from time to time.
The production and traits are difficult to argue against with Bonitto, but there is a question of how much of his effectiveness was due to simply out-athleting opposing tackles, something he won't be able to do as much in the NFL. He'll be overmatched from a strength perspective and will need to maintain proper leverage, especially against the run.
Cleveland could take Bonitto and use him as a designated pass-rusher, rotating in on obvious passing downs and playing him on the outside of Garrett or whoever is starting on the other side. It's unlikely they'd take Bonitto and have him stick his hand in the dirt and expect him to be a starting-caliber player as a rookie.
He could be a very good DPR, with the potential to develop into an every-down player if he can pack on some more muscle, but how high will the Browns be willing to take him? It doesn't seem like he's a great fit at 44, where they need more of an instant and versatile impact, likely from a wide receiver or an EDGE with a more prototypical build. But if he were to fall to 78, that's a spot where Bonitto would make a lot of sense for this team.
