Nik Bonitto Scouting Report: NFL Draft Prospect Report

Linebacker, Oklahoma Sooners, # 11

Measurements

6′ 3″ / 240 lbs

40 Time: recorded a 4.71 in high school. Expected to be faster now.

Nik Bonitto NFL Draft Player Profile

Nik Bonitto is one of many players coming from the ranks of high school out of the state of Florida. Bonitto played high school ball for powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, who recently won there state record 12^th title. The school has produced other top talent such as Nick and Joey Bosa, Damon Arnette, and Asante Samuel Jr.

Although he played at a powerhouse school, Bonitto was only the 40^th ranked player in the state and earned a four star review from 247 sports. As a senior, he compiled 81 tackles, 11 TFL, and 9.5 sacks along with 2 INTs according to max preps. Although he wasn’t a 5 star talent, he still garnered interest from the major schools. It was at the Under Armour All-American game that he announced he would join the Sooners over offers from Alabama, Auburn, and Ohio State.

As a freshman, he would play in three games before red shirting. The next season he would earn a starting role and find the field in all 14 games. Relying mostly on his speed and athleticism at the time, he put up modest stats with 3.5 sacks. In 2020, he began to put the speed together with intelligence and more refined skills. He had 10.5 tackles for loss and 8 sacks helping the Oklahoma defense immensely and catching the eyes of scouts nation wide.

As a redshirt junior this season, I have seen his role change a little bit. Prior to the season I saw him as an undersized pass rusher off the edge. The Oklahoma staff has utilized him more as an off-ball linebacker this season than expected. He has still managed to get to the QB with 4 sacks. Additionally, he also recovered 2 fumbles showing he can be a playmaker in the NFL.

Nik Bonitto Strengths

Versatility

Where will Nik Bonitto play in the NFL? Does it even matter is the real question? This young man is multi-talented. He can play on the edge and provide a serious pass rush, or he can play off ball with his keen coverage skills. He drops into the flats and underneath zones with ease. You can use him as a spy as well.

Oklahoma used him primarily as a spy against Nebraska earlier this year and he held Adrian Martinez to 34 yards on 17 carries. That’s two yards per rush, or four less per rush than his average if your wondering. He even registered 2 sacks in that match up.

Change of Direction

When thinking about how NFL teams play the game nowadays, the pass springs to mind. So a good linebacker should be able to contribute in the pass defense. Bonitto can do just that. The 6’ 3” rangy linebacker may not have the ideal bulk some teams want in a pass rusher, but he can turn his hips and run with the RB or TE incredibly well. It almost seems unfair when I’m watching tape and he is in coverage he looks more like a DB when turning then a LB.

If he is pass rushing, and his initial rush takes him past the play, i.e., a screen or shovel pass, he can change direction and still impact the play as well. It is also his change of direction ability that keeps him from being fooled on misdirection plays. Even if he made the wrong read, his ability to snap his hips around lightning fast allows him to recover.

Speed and Get Off at the Line

Nik Bonitto looks like he knows the opposing teams snap count. His first step is elite and allows him to get into or past offensive tackles before they know what happened. When pursuing a running back out of the backfield, he often gets to their spot before they do. I’m not sure how fast he will run the 40 at the combine, but I do know he has elite acceleration off the edge. Last year against Texas he made athletic NFL tackle Sam Cosmi look like he was in slow motion on too many plays.

Twitchy Athleticism

Did I say twitchy? He moves similar to Myles Garrett at times. Almost glitchy in fact. Check this film of Garrett out to see what I mean. Bonitto uses his fast twitch ability to excel as a pass rusher. Both his spin move, and stunt techniques are elite. He looks just like Myles Garrett in that film at times, leaving blockers grasping at air. No he is not Myles Garrett, but he looks as fast at the line.

Football Intelligence

Bonitto shows a rare yet revered ability to do it all. Players rarely excel in multiple assignments. It takes extreme intelligence to be a pass rusher, a spy, and a coverage player who can drop and actually be effective. He is used in complicated stunts and pass rush schemes at OU. He does a good job of keeping his eyes on the ball and is rarely fooled by misdirection or options.

Nik Bonitto Areas for Improvement

Size and Strength

Nik Bonitto is listed at 6’ 3” 240lbs. He may be closer to 6’ 2” though and his lack of length and size hurts him against the run game. Bonitto lacks the strength to disengage once a blocker gets a hold of him, making him a liability as a run defender. He needs to add some muscle and weight as a pass rusher if he is drafted to play off the edge. If he is drafted to play off ball, his lack of length will be a weakness when trying to affect passes over the middle. All in all he needs to add playing strength whether he adds weight or not.

Run Defense

As I alluded to above, Nik Bonitto is not going to wow anyone as a run stopper. As a matter of fact, I would not consider playing him at the edge on obvious running plays. This is something Oklahoma doesn’t do often either. Bonitto may be best suited as a pure pass rusher until he bulks up and adds some strength at the NFL level. For this reason alone, I see him being drafted as a 3-4 OLB.

Needs a Partner in Crime

When I see Bonitto play, I see an exciting and athletic player that can contribute at a high level. Yet, he is at his best when he has a partner in crime. Last season he was his best when Ronnie Perkins came back. What I’m saying is he may be more Robin than Batman, or more Bud Dupree than T.J. Watt. He plays at his best when he has help.

Nik Bonitto Draft Stock

Prior to the season I was super high on Bonitto and I still am. The difference is that I’m now high on him for different reasons. I have stepped back my expectations of him as a pass rusher, but elevated my expectations of him as an all around versatile player. I don’t believe he will be the second or third pass rusher taken, as I once thought possible. However, as a GM, I could see myself calling his name on day one depending on the scheme my defense ran.

I think he is a bit of a tweener and we will see edge defenders like Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux go ahead of him. I mocked him to the Giants at seven in my way too early mock draft, but would maybe take him a bit later now.

Final Thoughts on Nik Bonitto

Nik Bonitto is everything a coach would want in a player. He has high football IQ, good maturity, and elite athleticism. He checks every box, but happens to fall into the tweener category for me. I love players like him, but when it comes to NFL GMs they tend to not like them quite as much, unless you’re Steve Keim. At the end of the day though Bonitto is an NFL talent and one I love to watch. He will probably play as a pass rusher on obvious passing downs early on, but become an every down player as he adds some strength and bulk.

Nik Bonitto NFL Player Comparison: Haason Reddick of the Carolina Panthers. I see a lot of similarities to Reddick when he was being evaluated. I think Bonitto has more burst and better bend at this point though and Reddick was drafted 13^th overall so maybe Bonitto goes earlier.

Nik Bonitto Scouting Report by Ken Noble