Ethan Bonner signs with Miami Dolphins as undrafted free agent
After going undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft, Stanford 5th year cornerback Ethan Bonner signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent. In my breakdown of Stanford’s 2023 NFL Draft prospects, I wrote of Bonner:
Ethan Bonner played five years on The Farm and is known for his speed. That’s something that should give him a chance to make an NFL roster. Speed is so important. On top of having great speed, Bonner has good size 6’1”, 190 pounds.
During his time at Stanford, Bonner got better with each season he played with his fifth season being his best: Five pass deflections and 29 total tackles. He has a really good work ethic and keeps finding ways to improve his game.
The biggest weakness of Bonner is definitely health. He played in only five games in his senior year and has just had a lot of questions surrounding his durability. If teams can be convinced that he’s able to be durable in the NFL, he could have a career in the league because he has the size and speed to interest a lot of teams.
Regarding his draft projection, I’m putting Bonner in the 6th round to undrafted range. Anything can happen in those final two rounds, so it’s certainly possible some team selects him. Otherwise, someone is likely to give him a training camp invite and see what he can do there.
The fact that Bonner didn’t get drafted isn’t a surprise. I thought there was maybe a chance he’d get picked, but I think his durability is what caused him to fall. If he can prove to stay healthy, he’s got a great chance to stick in the NFL because of his speed and work ethic. He did have his best season on The Farm last year, so that should give him and the Dolphins a lot of hope that he can improve in the coming seasons. He came to Stanford as a 2-star recruit, so he's used to starting at the bottom and working his way up.
As an added bonus, Bonner be reuniting with fellow Cardinal Elijah Higgins, who got drafted by the Dolphins in the 6th round. Having Higgins around should help Bonner and in turn, Higgins should benefit from having Bonner around as well. It would be really cool if both guys find a way to make the final roster for the Dolphins.
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