NFL Draft 2020 Scouting Report: DE Tim Bonner, Fla. Atlantic (QH)

*Our DL grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, leaked Wonderlic test results, etc. We will update ratings as new info becomes available.

Our Quick Hit (QH) scouting reports are a modified/shorter version of our full-scale reports. On these Quick Hits, I look at a lesser amount of tape and write a shorter amount of flowy words – these are usually designed more for sleeper prospects that I want to get more acquainted with and if something really jumps out, I’ll go deeper. It’s just me trying to get in and get out and deliver the pertinent notes to you for your consideration and for review later if they start to make waves in a year or two.

I’ll do a chunk of these pre-Draft and then more after the Draft, going through the players that caught my attention in the draft (because of how high they were taken) or that I stumble across in training camp or the preseason that catch my eye.

Most of my notes on these Quick Hits will be short and sweet bullet points versions of our full-scale reports. Enjoy…

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The first time Bonner’s tape ran across my eyes, I was like ‘Oh, boy…I got to see more of this!’ His highlight reel is promising. Once I dug deeper for this report, I found out there are more twists to this story…

BACKGROUND…

 -- Initially signed with Louisville, got kicked off the team because he allegedly had a gun in his dorm room (he claims he didn’t). Someone said he did, and the dean kicked him out of the school. So the story goes…

 -- Bonner became one of the featured players in the documentary ‘Last Chance U.’ about a JUCO program that takes in so-called ‘problem players’, highly talented ones, to try and rehab them back to D1 hopefuls.

 -- Bonner was about to sign with Ole Miss after his JUCO stint but switched to Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic.

 -- 6’3.7”/239

TAPE STUDY AND RANDOM NOTES…

 -- You watch his highlight reel work and you swear you’re looking at an NFL starter off the edge. He has very nice movement skills…quick feet, great acceleration. In several games, he looks somewhat unblockable with his speed and power off the edge.

 --  …but that’s just on his highlight reel.

You watch play after play against solid/good/great opponents and it turns into a mixed bag with too much disappearing act on tape.

 -- FAU opened up against Ohio State in 2019, a real chance for Bonner to show off…he was consumed by OSU blocking. He didn’t put up much of a fight. When push comes to shove, Bonner is mostly a letdown…a guy who has NFL physical tools, but doesn’t seem able or willing to put it all together.

 -- Many people have speculated/published that Bonner struggled with his on-field assignments and made many mistakes and lost playing time due to it. Watching him in interviews, and reading the speculations – he doesn’t seem all that swift for the mental side of the game.

Tim Bonner, Through the Lens of Our DE Scouting Algorithm:

 -- Against his four toughest opponents over his last two seasons at FAU, against Central Florida (2x), Oklahoma, Ohio State, Bonner averaged: 2.7 tackles, 0.25 TFLs and 0.0 sacks – like I said, wilts under the bright lights/better opposition. 

 -- Just one forced fumble the past two seasons combined…not a great sign of the pressure he’s putting on QBs either. 

2020 Pre-Draft Measurables:

6’3.7”/239, 9 1/8” hands, 33.5” arms, 80 7/8” wingspan

No other measurables posted, his Pro Day cancelled. 

The Historical DE Prospects to Whom Tim Bonner Most Compares Within Our System:

Yep…Phillips-Mingo-Rivers, all great college pass rush hopefuls – and they never really worked out in the pros. Bonner fits that profile with a worse off-field profile. 

*A score of 8.00+ is where we see a stronger correlation of DEs going on to become NFL good/great/elite. A score of 10.00+ is more rarefied air in our system and indicates a greater probability of becoming an elite NFL DE.

All of the DE ratings are based on a 0–10 scale, but a player can score negative, or above a 10.0 in certain instances.

Power-Strength Metrics = A combination of several measurements. An attempt to classify the DE prospect as more of a battle-in-the-trenches type of DE, a 'bull-rusher', and/or a DE prospect who has some DT capabilities.

Speed-Agility Metrics = A combination of several speed, agility, size measurements. A unique measuring system to look for DEs who profile more as speed-rush, stand-up DEs, and/or possible OLBs.

Pass-Rusher Rating = A combination of physical measurables, and college performance, graded historically for future NFL profiling. In the simplest of terms, this is an attempt to classify whether a particular DE is likely to achieve high sack totals in the NFL. We know the 'system'/scheme the DE goes on to play in has a part in future success...but so do the player's skills and performance history. "You can't keep a good man/DE down," we'd like to think.

Tackling Rating = A combination of physical measurables, and college performance, graded historically for future NFL profiling. In the simplest of terms, this is an attempt to classify the DE as one more likely to be involved in a heavy amount of tackles, tackles for a loss, and forced fumbles. Lower-scoring DEs in this subcategory tend to be more pure pass-rushers/specialists. This is also our attempt to quantify, if it's possible, the 'toughness' of a player.

2020 NFL Draft Outlook:

He will not get drafted, but he will for sure be given a strong UDFA opportunity.

If I were an NFL GM, I’d take a shot on him as a UDFA (maybe)…you have to see if you can unlock whatever his issue seems to be, considering his physical tools.

NFL Outlook:   

Likely a flameout, but maybe he can land with the right coach who figures out how to get the best from him. 

4/2/2020