The Denver Broncos had to wait until the last pick of the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft to make their first selection, but they connected with great value when they did.
With the 64th overall pick of the draft, the Broncos were able to get Oklahoma pass-rusher Nik Bonitto, a player many Broncos fans may be familiar with as several mock drafts correctly had the Broncos taking him.
Though he is on the smaller side, he was still one of the best pass-rushers in this class. He had 19.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss during his playing career with the Sooners.
Speed at the next level is not going to be a question. He has an incredible get-off following the snap and he will race right around offensive linemen to make the play. Strength on the other hand, will be the question. His light frame was what pushed him out of the first or high second-round talk but in a good strength and conditioning program, the Broncos could build a monster with this player.
According to @PFF, new Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto had the highest pass rush win rate in the country in 2020.
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) April 30, 2022
As the Broncos watched the draft take shape, players such as Nakobe Dean and Chad Muma were still on the board at this spot, as were others such as Perrion Winfrey. But George Paton understands how today’s game works and he has recently talked about how a team can never have enough pass-rushers.
So he elected to grab Bonitto, who has drawn comparisons to Haason Reddick, a player the Broncos were rumored to be interested in during the free-agent signing period.
The Broncos clearly want to establish themselves as one of the best pass-rushing teams in the league and along with the signing of Randy Gregory this offseason, the selection of Bonitto should help to do that. A big key will be that Bradley Chubb returns to his Pro-Bowl form.
The Broncos will have a quick turnaround here as they will pick again at No. 75, barring a trade.