2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Edge Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma

There's a lot to like about Oklahoma edge rusher Nik Bonitto, who still has even more room to grow to become a top-shelf NFL caliber pass rusher.

Nik Bonitto, EDGE

Height: 6’3
Weight: 248 lbs.
Class: RS-Junior
School: Oklahoma
Arm length: 32 ½”
Wingspan: 78 ¾”
Hand size: 9 ⅜”

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A former four-star recruit out of one of the premier football powerhouse programs - St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Bonitto was the 17th ranked OLB in the nation, and the 40th ranked recruit in the 2018 cycle.

Notables

Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

Bonitto is a super quick and bendy EDGE who recorded 39 tackles, 15 for a loss, seven sacks, 52 pressures, and 28 STOPs in 2021. He was very productive at harassing opposing quarterbacks, and he also had 49 pressures, 11.5 tackles for a loss, and nine sacks in 2020.

Bonitto was named the Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year by PFF, and he was a Bednarik Award semifinalist. He also earned a second team All-Big 12 selections in 2020 & 2021. His athletic gifts are difficult to teach.

Bonitto played in a defense that frequently would exchange gaps from pre to post snap. It leveraged his ability to slant inside and take advantage of angles. He attended the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine where he performed very well.

• 40-yard dash: 4.54s
• Bench press: 22 reps
• Vertical jump: 35.5”
• Broad jump: 120”
• 10-yard-split: 1.53
• 3-Cone: 7.04s
• Short-shuttle: 4.23s

Strengths

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

• Solid height
• Excellent overall athlete with elite 0-100 burst
• Incredible foot quickness - very elusive when pass rushing
• Short area quickness is great
• Sensational first three steps up the pass-rushing arc - is shot out of a cannon
• Explosiveness, change of direciton, lateral agility, and speed are excellent
• Elite bend - is top three in the class at bending the edge
• Has the hip flexion to avoid punches and dip low up the pass-rushing arc
• Has the ankle flexion to bend through contact and swivel his hips into the pocket
• Does a great job getting hip to hip with tackles
• Good overall hand usage (hands lack strength); has hand counters, gets to the half-man and goes for rip or swim, keeps chest clean with reduced surface area set up by burst and active hands
• Flashed counter spins and secondary moves to adjust
• Has the speed to challenge OT pass sets and knew when to employ counter moves inside
• Very smart player who adjusted his pass-rush plan and trusted his eyes
• Sniffed a screen out against Kansas and blew the play up (Q2, 5:42)
• Solid run defender when penetrating forward
• Showed the ability to set a firm edge, albeit his technique needs to be perfect (low hips, lock out, core completely engaged, etc.)
• Kansas State: Q4, 5:23
• Baylor: Q1, 4:56
• Has the athletic ability to drop into coverage, albeit it was just middle hook zones or boundary flat
• Tough, smart player who could possibly be a 3-4 OLB

 

Weaknesses/Can Improve

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

• Very lean, thin legged
• Short arms; 19th percentile wingspan and 12th percentile arm length
• Adequate overall play strength in one-on-one situations
• Game is much more predicated on speed and athletic ability than physicality
• Hands don’t have pop
• Doesn’t consistently convert speed to power
• Modest bull-rush ability
• When engaged, he’ll lose gap integrity too often (lack of strength leaves little room for error from a technique standpoint)
• Struggled to anchor against double teams; was turned around at times or bullied well off the LOS
• Iowa State: Q3, 9:55; Q4, 15:00
• Nebraska: Q3, 11:48; Q4, 00:45
• TCU: Q4, 13:00
• Seemed to get cut low at the ankles too often
• A lot of his production was clean up

Summary

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Overall, Nik Bonitto is an incredible blend of athletic traits, lower body flexion, and the ability to stress tackles and corner into the pocket. These traits are very valuable in the modern NFL because of the pass-happy nature of the game.

Bonitto is a quick accelerator with excellent burst; he’d best fit into a system that leverages his quickness and asks him to penetrate. He will struggle to anchor down against NFL OL early in his career, and he could be destined to start his career as a designated pass rusher.

There’s a lot to appreciate about Bonitto’s athletic gifts and his ability to employ pass-rushing moves and stress OL, but his overall functional strength is a question for a consistent every-down role in the NFL.

GRADE: 6.26

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