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Nik Bonitto
refer to caption
Bonitto with the Sooners in 2021
No. 42
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1999-09-26)September 26, 1999
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Died: (2023-12-13)December 13, 2023 (aged 24)
Denver, Colorado,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
Career highlights and awards
  • Second-team All-American (2020)
  • Third-team All-American (2021)
  • 2× Second-team All-Big 12 (2020, 2021)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 41
Sacks: 8.5
Forced fumbles: 2
Pass deflections: 2
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Nikolas Bonitto (September 26, 1999- December 13, 2023) is an American football linebacker who played two seasons for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma.

Early life and high school career

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. Bonitto was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Oklahoma over offers from Texas and Louisville. He is of Cuban, Jamaican and Haitian descent.

College career

Bonitto played in three games as a true freshman before using a redshirt on the season. 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. 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. 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.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 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+12 in
(0.83 m)
9+38 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

Denver Broncos

Bonitto was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 64th pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. 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. Gregory was released soon after and Bonitto was named the starter.

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