Wisconsin defenders Matt Henningsen and Faion Hicks aren’t the only college teammates reuniting in the NFL on the Denver Broncos: Oklahoma defenders Nik Bonitto and Delarrin Turner-Yell are reuniting as well.
Bonitto was drafted in the second round (64th overall) and is expected to contribute right away in the pass-rusher rotation alongside Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory. Delarrin Turner-Yell, meanwhile, was a Day 3 pick, so he’ll play mostly on special teams if he makes the Week 1 roster.
After the draft, general manager George Paton said, ”I knew they were close. Nik was in our draft room, two picks before we were about to pick. I said ‘Hey, tell me about your teammate,’ and he’s like ‘What? You’re — [drafting him?]’ He loves him. Yeah, I knew they were really close. He was fired up [when we drafted Turner-Yell].”
Bonitto and Turner-Yell were weight-lifting partners in college.
“[We’re] best friends off the field,” the safety said. “It’s kind of surreal to have a guy like that just to come in with me and be a part of a great franchise. It’s still unreal, I can’t believe it happened. I’m happy that he’s here, and I know he’s going to work for sure.”
After playing together with the Sooners, they’ll aim to continue making an impact on defense, this time at the highest level of football.