Denver Broncos mock draft pick 75: Nik Bonitto, Edge, Oklahoma
I would personally love for this selection to be Drake Jackson from USC or Arnold Ebiketie from Penn State, but I think they will both be gone before the clock starts ticking for George Paton. However, Nik Bonitto would still be a fantastic addition to the Broncos’ pass rush room, especially at pick 64.
Nik Bonitto is a 6-foot-3, 248-pound edge rusher who is an incredible athlete. Totaling 19.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss during his time with Oklahoma, Bonitto has been consistent since his sophomore season in 2020.
From an athletic profile, Bonitto rivals former Denver Bronco, Von Miller. At both of their respective pro day/combines, Miller ran a bit faster and showed a bit more quickness, and has longer arms, Bonitto was right on his heels with the exception of out-bench pressing him.
Bonitto posted a RAS (Relative Athletic Score) of 9.5 out of 10, this is something that Paton has been keen on when drafting prospects. At the combine, Bonitto ran a 4.54 40-yard dash, an impressive number for an edge rusher.
He doesn’t possess a massive size to speed ratio like some of these athletic freaks coming out, but he has the adequate size and strength to make it at the next level. For an edge rusher, he does pretty well when asked to drop back into coverage.
He also does a fine job in space and is able to make plays in the open field when the opportunity presents itself. Bonitto wins and wins quickly. There isn’t a lot of wasted time in unwarranted movements when he rushes the passer, it is more of an attack downhill approach.