Oklahoma’s Nik Bonitto learned from Jason Taylor at STA. Now he’s headed to NFL’s Broncos
Nik Bonitto, a product of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Jason Taylor school of pass rushing, quietly spent four years developing into a star for the Oklahoma Sooners and now he’s headed to the NFL.
The Denver Broncos selected the 6-foot-3, 248-pound defensive end with the 32nd pick in the second round — No. 64 overall — of the 2022 NFL Draft on Friday.
After redshirting as a freshman, Bonitto took over midway through his second season in Oklahoma and spent the rest of his career as one of the Sooners’ best defensive players. He had 3 1/2 sacks and 6 1/2 tackles for loss in 2019, nine sacks and 11 1/2 tackles for loss in 2020, and seven sacks and 15 tackles for loss in 2021. In each of his final two seasons, Bonitto, 22, earned All-America recognition and was a second-team All-Big 12 Conference selection.
Before he got to Oklahoma, Bonitto was one of the best defensive players in South Florida and the No. 220 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2018. As an edge rusher, he won two state titles in Fort Lauderdale, helping the Raiders win championships in 2015 and 2016. He began his high school career at University before transferring to St. Thomas Aquinas as a sophomore and was the Miami Herald’s Male Athlete of the Year in Broward County as a senior.
As a senior with the Raiders, Bonitto began receiving tutelage from Taylor, who took over as St. Thomas Aquinas’ defensive line coach in 2017 and is now an analyst for the Miami Hurricanes. The Pro Football Hall of Famer helped Bonitto develop a more well-rounded skill set — he was primarily an outside linebacker for the Sooners — and the versatility now makes him tantalizing for NFL teams, who made him the first player picked from Broward County in the 2022 Draft.
Bonitto is the 19th former Raider to be picked in the last 20 years — the most from any high school in the country.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 9:31 PM.
