Why new San Francisco 49er Nick Bosa is best player in the 2019 NFL Draft

The top of the 2019 NFL Draft is littered with stud defensive line talent, but there might not be anyone better than San Francisco 49ers No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa.

Even though Bosa only played in three games this past season at Ohio State, he still did enough to cement himself as a top-flight NFL prospect. In 29 career games, Bosa posted 29 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. In the three games he played in his final season, he racked up six tackles for loss and four sacks.

It’s not hard to see why. Bosa is the total package NFL teams are looking for in a defensive end. He’s got the size, athleticism, and pass-rush moves to instantly be a star in the NFL.

Let’s take a deeper look at what makes Bosa a can’t-miss prospect.

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Bosa’s biggest selling point is that he’s coming into the draft as a pass rusher ready to make an impact the second he hits the field.

His favorite pass-rush move is the “side scissor,” where he knocks away the hands of the opposing offensive tackle before dipping around the corner. During the 2017 Big Ten Championship Game, Bosa put that move on display for a sack against Wisconsin.

Once he slaps away the hands of the left tackle, he turns the corner and creates a lane for himself to take down the quarterback. The left tackle had no chance of recovering once Bosa’s swipe gets him out of position.

The side scissor is clearly what Bosa is most comfortable with, and he nabbed another sack with that same move against Oregon State this past season.

Watch the left tackle until he makes contact with Bosa. Once the left tackle puts his head down and starts leaning, Bosa knows he has the room to execute his favorite move. He sets it up with an inside fake before knocking away the hands of the tackle on his way to a sack.

Bosa has even been able to make that move work against two blockers — on the same play.

Here’s an example from Ohio State’s game against USC in the 2017 Cotton Bowl. The Trojans made the mistake of using a tight end and a running back to block one of the best defensive linemen in the country. They predictably failed.

Bosa strung together two swipe moves on both the tight end and the running back before demolishing Sam Darnold in the backfield.

It will serve Bosa well early on in his career to have a move that he’s already mastered. Having the side scissor locked down gives him something to rely on while he adds more pass-rush moves to his bag of tricks.

Pass rushing is where Bosa will have the most influence, but his run defense doesn’t have many holes either.

The most impressive aspect about Bosa’s run defense is his gap integrity. He’s a patient run defender who plays his gap first instead of chasing the ballcarrier.

This play from Ohio State’s 2017 game against Michigan is a perfect rep against the run. Bosa is matched up on the tight end, gets his hands into the tight end’s chest, and holds strong at the line of scrimmage.

Once the running back decides where he’s going to run, Bosa sheds the tight end and slams the running back down for a loss of yards.

Bosa can make a difference even when he isn’t making the tackles himself. A big part of playing the run as a defensive end is being able to set the edge and force the running back to run into the teeth of the defense.

This is a perfect example of that against Wisconsin. Bosa keeps his outside shoulder free and doesn’t get pushed down the line of scrimmage. The running back is forced to cut back inside, where he meets a gang of Ohio State defenders.

Here’s one more example of Bosa being a dominant run defender without being a tackler, this time against Penn State. He’s matched up on a tight end, who has no business being in a one-on-one blocking situation with Bosa.

Bosa drives the tight end two yards in the backfield, which eliminates the crease that Saquon Barkley initially saw in the middle of the defense. The tight end’s body in his path forces Barkley to reverse course in the backfield and he’s promptly tackled for a loss of yards.

These are the plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet, but are pivotal to winning games.

Bosa is as complete of a defensive end prospect you’ll find in college football. He’s so good it doesn’t even matter he only played in three games last season.

The only thing Bosa has working against him is he’s not the biggest defensive end or an elite athlete at the position. However, he’s so technically sound and disciplined with his play that he’ll be able to overcome it in the NFL.

Bosa has earned his reputation as the best player in the entire 2019 NFL Draft and has a chance to produce a Pro Bowl-caliber season as a rookie — which is why he’s not expected to get past the second- or third-overall pick.

Barring injury, Bosa should grow into an elite defensive end in the NFL. Just like he was in college.