NFL

49ers Take Nick Bosa With 2nd Overall Pick in the 2019 NFL Draft

The 49ers got their guy.

With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, San Francisco selected Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa.

Nick Bosa

  • Position: Defensive end
  • College: Ohio State
  • Height: 6-4
  • Weight: 266
  • Selection: First round (No. 2 overall)

Scouting report: Bosa has a unique blend of lower-body strength, agility, balance and tenacity. He is a technician who has been studying the game, and, specifically, the art of pass-rushing, from an early age. His dad, John Bosa, and uncle, Eric Kumerow, were first-round draft picks of the Miami Dolphins in back-to-back years. His older brother, Joey, was the No. 3 overall pick of the Chargers in 2016. His measurables compare favorably to his brother. Nick Bosa ran a 4.79 in the 40 and had 29 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press.

“Nick will succeed in any defense he is placed into. He can win on the edge, he can likely win inside when set up to maximize one on one matchups,” said draft expert Josh Norris of Rotoworld and NBC Sports in his evaluation.

Bosa recorded 8.5 sacks as a sophomore and was primed for a big junior year. But he sustained a bilateral core muscle injury in the third game of the season – after recording four sacks up to that point -- and underwent season-ending surgery. He is completely recovered and took part in the full workout at the combine in February.

Projected role: The 49ers entered the offseason with a major need at edge rusher after a season in which Cassius Marsh and Ronald Blair managed just 5.5 sacks apiece. The club acquired Dee Ford in a trade with Kansas City, and Marsh was released.

Now, Bosa is added to provide an upgrade on the other side. Bosa will certainly be deployed as a nickel pass rusher from Day 1. He has the strength and leverage to be very good against the run. Bosa could help the 49ers accomplish GM John Lynch’s goal of putting together a “dominant” defensive line.

Bosa becomes the fourth defensive lineman the 49ers have chosen with a first-round pick since 2015, joining Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas.

What they’re saying: “I’m somebody that loves the game more than anybody. I’m going to come in and I’m going to work every day, every practice trying to find new things to better myself. If you do draft me, then you’ll have somebody who’s going to improve throughout my entire career” – Nick Bosa on what NFL teams should know about him.

“He has a very strong lower body. He’s got great balance, like a wrestler. He can stay on his feet. I think what makes him different” – Larry Johnson, Ohio State defensive line coach.

“He’s a great teammate. He’s always pushing the younger guys. He’s a very high competitor. Sometimes our coaches had to pull him back because of how hard he goes” – Ohio State wide receiver Terry McLaurin, a two-time team captain.

“I just love them, the culture. It seems like the kind of culture I’d like to be in. It was just a really good visit. It just seems like a family. Every coach that I talked to when they were away from coach (Kyle) Shanahan just talked up how player-friendly he is and how he’s just a regular guy, but when it’s time to go to work, he goes to work. Playing for somebody like that would be really cool” -- Bosa on the time he has spent with the 49ers during the draft process.

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