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Nik Bonitto

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Nik Bonitto
refer to caption
Bonitto with the Sooners in 2021
No. 15 – Denver Broncos
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1999-09-26) September 26, 1999 (age 25)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Thomas Aquinas
(Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
College:Oklahoma (2018–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / round: 2 / pick: 64
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2024
Total tackles:85
Sacks:21.0
Forced fumbles:4
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:5
Interceptions:1
Touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Nikolas Bonitto (born September 26, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma.

Early years

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Bonitto grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School. He was named an Under Armour All-American as a senior.[1] Bonitto was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Oklahoma over offers from Texas and Louisville.[2] He is of Cuban, Jamaican and Haitian descent.[3]

College career

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Bonitto played in three games as a true freshman before using a redshirt on the season.[4] He became a starter at outside linebacker six games into his redshirt freshman season and finished the year with 43 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.[5][6][7] As a redshirt sophomore, he recorded 29 tackles with ten tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks and was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press.[8] Bonitto repeated as a second-team All-Big 12 selection after finishing his redshirt junior season with 39 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 7 sacks and one forced fumble. Following the conclusion of the regular season, he announced his decision to forgo his redshirt senior season and enter the 2022 NFL draft as well as opt out of the 2021 Alamo Bowl.[9]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m) 		248 lb
(112 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.54 s 1.53 s 2.63 s 4.23 s 7.04 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[10][11][12]

Bonitto was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 64th pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.[13] The Broncos used the selection previously obtained from the Los Angeles Rams in a trade for Von Miller.

After starting the 2023 season as a backup, Bonitto started over Randy Gregory in the Week 4 matchup against the Chicago Bears. He recorded 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble that led to a scoop and score by Jonathon Cooper in the game.[14][15] Gregory was traded soon after and Bonitto was named the starter.

During the 2024 season, Bonitto became the first Broncos player to have double digit sacks since Von Miller and Bradley Chubb in 2018. In Week 13 on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns, Bonitto intercepted a pass from Jameis Winston, returning it 70 yards for his first career defensive touchdown.[16] In Week 15, Bonitto scored his second touchdown of the season on a 50-yard fumble return against the Indianapolis Colts.[17]

References

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  1. ^ Furones, David (January 4, 2018). "St. Thomas' Nik Bonitto commits to Oklahoma, has already signed with the Sooners". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Nathan, Alec (January 4, 2018). "4-Star DE Prospect Nik Bonitto Commits to Oklahoma over Louisville, Texas". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  3. ^ "'Baby Feet' Bonitto had good feeling about Broncos from earlier visit". KUSA.com. May 2, 2022.
  4. ^ Palmateer, Tyler (October 21, 2019). "Nik Bonitto's growth key as OU deals with injury at outside linebacker". Norman Transcript. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  5. ^ Helmer, Joey (September 9, 2020). "Bonitto enters fall ready to build on growth from last season". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Kersey, Jason (December 27, 2019). "How Oklahoma finally made inroads at powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, Joe Castiglione's prep alma mater". The Athletic. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  7. ^ Aber, Ryan (November 19, 2020). "OU football: Nik Bonitto's versatilty figures to be a big asset for Sooners in Bedlam". The Oklahoman. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  8. ^ Aber, Ryan (December 27, 2020). "AP All-America football team 2020: Tulsa's Zaven Collins makes first-team, OU's Nik Bonitto second-team". The Oklahoman. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  9. ^ Coyle, R.J. (December 6, 2021). "Oklahoma LB Nik Bonitto opts out of Alamo Bowl, declares for NFL draft". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "Nik Bonitto Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  11. ^ Brugler, Dane (March 7, 2022). "NFL Combine: Official measurements for every NFL Draft prospect in Indianapolis". The Athletic. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  12. ^ "Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma, OLB, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  13. ^ DiLalla, Aric (April 29, 2022). "Broncos select OLB Nik Bonitto with 64th-overall pick". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  14. ^ Scataglia, Lou (October 3, 2023). "Denver Broncos young pass-rush duo is showing a ton of early promise in 2023". Predominantly Orange. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  15. ^ Heath, Jon (October 1, 2023). "WATCH: Jonathon Cooper scores after Nik Bonitto strip-sack". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  16. ^ Sarles, Jesse (December 2, 2024). "Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto scores first career defensive touchdown - CBS Colorado". CBS News. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  17. ^ Legwold, Jeff (December 15, 2024). "Nik Bonitto extends Broncos' lead on 50-yard return". espn.com.
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