San Francisco 49ers: Instant grade and analysis of Nick Bosa

The San Francisco 49ers selected Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Here are our initial grade and analysis of the pick.

The dust has finally settled on the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and the San Francisco 49ers have landed exactly the player many thought they would end up with. Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa is officially a member of the 49ers.

Bosa was considered by many to be the No. 1 overall prospect in this class and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who had him outside of their top two. Coming from an ultra-successful family lineage, Bosa broke out and emerged as a top NFL prospect after a breakout 2017 campaign that saw him rack up 8.5 sacks en route to being named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year.

His 2018 season looked to be getting off to just as good of a start as the Ohio State product tallied 14 tackles and four sacks through the first three games of the season. Unfortunately, an injured core muscle forced him to miss the remainder of the season as he spent the fall and winter months rehabbing for the NFL Draft.

It wasn’t the first-round stunner that their Bay Area counterparts pulled off, but that generally means the consensus says it was a good pick. But was it?

Let’s take a deeper dive in and analyze the 49ers first-round selection.

National Reaction

The Verdict

While you could list off a handful of concerns regarding his health and fluidity, it’s hard to argue that this pick is anything other than a slam dunk.

Bosa was the best pure pass rusher in this year’s class and really isn’t that close. Perhaps because of his 2018 injury people have forgotten a little bit of what he is capable of, but a simple look back at his tape and it’s easy to see why he’s been regarded as such a high draft pick.

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The 21-year-old is a true blue-chip prospect whose muscular frame helps him overpower offensive linemen at the point of attack. Bosa is a technically refined edge in every sense of the word and really doesn’t have a true weakness. Some will point out that he isn’t the most fluid mover and could sometimes play a bit upright, but those are all nitpicks as opposed to true criticisms.

As a prospect, Bosa checks all the boxes.

There will be fans who argue that the team should have selected Alabama’s Quinnen Williams at this spot, especially after the team acquired Pro Bowler Dee Ford from the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason. But as it stands, the team certainly has use for another edge rusher opposite Ford.

Solomon Thomas has been extremely underwhelming as a pass rusher and Arik Armstead is better off playing in the interior of the defensive line. Bosa gives the 49ers an incredible trio of defensive linemen to go along with Ford and budding star DeForest Buckner.

Now, the San Francisco 49ers have a true strength on defense and a pass rush that will hopefully take some of the stress off of a secondary that struggled mightily last season. They will hopefully address that position group a little later in the draft but for now, this pick should definitely help them out.

Overall, you could make arguments that the team should have gone in a different direction, but it’s really hard to be mad about landing a player of Bosa’s caliber. And for that reason, it’s likely one of the best picks in the entire draft.

Final Grade: A