#11

Nik Bonitto

Former linebacker at Oklahoma. 2021: 39 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 7 sacks.

LB · Oklahoma · So. · #11

6′3″ · 238 lb · Fort Lauderdale, FL

CFB Index 86 · #28 of 578 LBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceDenver — drafted 2022, Rd 2, Pick 32, #64 overall

Recruiting

4★

OLB recruit

No. 220 nationally · Signed with Oklahoma

Statement game4 tackles · 3 TFL · 3 sacksvs Kansas (FBS) · W 62-9

Top 1% sacks game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former linebacker at Oklahoma. 2021: 39 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 7 sacks.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Oklahoma in 2018.
Drafted round 2 by the Denver in 2022.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Oklahoma, 118 tackles — drafted at #64 overall by Denver.

His career

He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.

2018

Signed with Oklahoma4-star out of St. Thomas Aquinas

20209 games

The role got bigger.

All-Big 12second

202111 games

All-Big 12second

2022

Drafted by Denverround 2, pick 64

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#220 national

CFB

College

Oklahoma

2018–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

R2 · #64

Denver · 2022

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

3 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-BIG 12 · 2ND TEAM

All-Big 12 2nd team (2021)

Coaching lineage · 2018–2021

2 coaches

2018–2020

Lincoln Riley

Oklahoma

2021

Bob Stoops

Oklahoma

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Lincoln Riley → Bob Stoops. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

DenverEntering 5th NFL season

#64Rd 2 · Pick 32

DenverEntering 5th NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2018Oklahoma12-2HC: Lincoln Riley · Run-leaning

2019Oklahoma12-2HC: Lincoln Riley · Run-leaning

2020Oklahoma9-2HC: Lincoln Riley · Run-leaning, fast tempo

2021Oklahoma11-2HC: Bob Stoops · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

86All-Conference level #28 of 578?

High confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (99th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (98th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

QB hurries#31 / 2743 · 99th pct

Tackles for loss#38 / 2743 · 98th pct

15.0

Sacks#60 / 2743 · 97th pct

7.0

Solo tackles#943 / 2743 · 65th pct

Tackles#973 / 2743 · 64th pct

Passes defended#1085 / 2743 · 49th pct

Forced fumbles#59 / 673 · 46th pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2021 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	3.2	1.1	0.6	0.2
Road5g	4.0	1.7	0.7	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	3.5	1.2	0.7	0.0
Weeks 8+5g	3.6	1.5	0.6	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Brent Venables

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

86 · #28 of 578 LBs

Former four-star. Now #28 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Oklahoma	39	23	15.0	7.0	1	--	--
2020	Oklahoma	33	19	11.5	9.0	2	--	--
2019	Oklahoma	43	25	6.5	3.5	4	1	--
2018	Oklahoma	3	2	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		118	69	33.0	19.5	7	1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 12 · 2021

W 28–21

vs Iowa State

5 TOT · 3 SOLO · 1 SACKS

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 at home.

With M. Turk — 54 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 63 LONG · C. Williams — 87 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 72.4 · 67 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 40-35vs Tulane	2	1	0.5	0.5	—	0
Wk 3	W 23-16vs Nebraska	5	4	3.0	2.0	—	0	Season-high 5 tackles
Wk 4	W 16-13vs West Virginia	0	0	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	W 37-31@ Kansas State	4	2	2.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 6	W 55-48@ Texas	5	3	1.5	1.5	—	0
Wk 7	W 52-31vs TCU	5	2	0.5	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	W 35-23@ Kansas	5	1	1.5	1.0	—	0
Wk 9	W 52-21vs Texas Tech	2	2	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 11	L 14-27@ Baylor	2	1	1.5	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 28-21vs Iowa State	5	3	2.5	1.0	—	0	2.5 TFL
Wk 13	L 33-37@ Oklahoma State	4	4	2.0	1.0	—	0
Total		39	23	15.0	7.0	—	1

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Nik Bonitto

2018

20209 games

202111 games

2022

2021 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Thumper

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