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OU football: Sooners’ Nik Bonitto selected by Denver Broncos in 2nd round of 2022 NFL Draft (Twitter reacts, read more)

Nik Bonitto

Redshirt junior linebacker Nik Bonitto before the game against West Virginia on Sep. 25.

 Trey Young/The Daily

Former Oklahoma outside linebacker Nik Bonitto was selected by the Denver Broncos with the No. 64 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft on Friday.

In 2021, Bonitto led the Sooners with 15 tackles for loss and amassed seven sacks, which was second on the team. A redshirt junior last season, Bonitto was a three-year starter and registered 117 career tackles and 32 tackles for loss. He also recorded 18.5 career sacks, which ranks No. 13 in OU history.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound defender hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Bonitto was a four-star recruit and the No. 220 overall player nationally, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings.

Bonitto opted out of the Alamo Bowl to enter the NFL Draft process on Dec. 6, one day after new Sooners coach Brent Venables was hired.

The second round pick only participated in one event during his OU Pro Day on March 9, and improved his bench press to 22 reps. Bonitto ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash and tallied a 35.5-inch vertical jump at the 2022 NFL Combine.

“Just being at OU, I feel like I’ve learned more life lessons than anything,” Bonitto said after Oklahoma’s pro day. “Just from like the beginning of my redshirt freshman year until now, I feel like I’ve learned lessons every single year and I’ve grown from those lessons.”

The Broncos' 2022 schedule, along with every other NFL team’s slate, will be revealed at 7 p.m. CT on May 12.

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