Tweet
Now a Charger (8/29/2016)
Overview
Bosa plans to follow in the footsteps of his father and uncle as NFL first-round picks; John Bosa was picked 16th overall by Miami in 1987 coming out of Boston College, while Eric Kumerow was picked in the same spot, again by the Dolphins, the following year. Joey Bosa's own potential as an elite prospect has been clear since arriving in Columbus, as he made his way into the starting lineup 10 times as a true freshman (13.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks) to earn honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. As a sophomore, he captured unanimous All-American honors, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award (led the conference with 21 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks) and was named a finalist for three national awards as the nation’s top defender: the Lombardi Award, Outland Trophy, and Ted Hendricks Award. His junior year got off to a slow start, however, as he was suspended for the opener for violating team rules. Statistically, his 2015 season was not as impressive as the year before (16 tackles for loss, five sacks) but Big Ten coaches still named him the conference’s Defensive Lineman of the Year because of his rare combination of strength against the run and consistent presence in the backfield.
Pro Day Results
40-yard dash: 4.77 seconds
Vertical: 31 1/2 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 1 inch
Bench: 28 reps of 225 pounds
Analysis
Strengths Has an NFL-ready frame. Good muscular definition and flexibility to go along with a confident, competitive attitude. Solid upfield burst off the snap. Has booming power in his hands. Uses arm extension and forward lean as his primary weapon. Generates speed-to-power bullrush and plays off of that with a punch and pull technique that pulls tackles off-balance. Focuses pass rush attack on outside shoulder of tackle using forward lean and aggressive hand play. Active hands can completely wipe out a tackle’s weak outside hand allowing him to cave-in the edge. Usually gets hands on defender first. Able to stack and slide along line of scrimmage in pursuit of ball-carrier. Strong core and able to rag doll tight ends who aren’t committed to the fight. Adequate closing burst to the ball. Looks fluid and nimble when dropping into space. Has the talent and traits to be used more aggressively than he was at Ohio State. Grew as a run defender this season. Has forced five fumbles over the last two years. Football is in his blood with a father who was drafted by Dolphins in first round of 1987 draft and an uncle who played at Ohio State in the mid-80s. Motor will never be a problem.
Weaknesses Too contact-oriented in his rush and needs to learn to leverage himself around the edge. Forward lean can cause him to go flying when defenders give him a shove. Tape shows surprising lack of play strength when he’s attacked on his edge. Struggles to fight back when being washed down by down blocks. Will end up on the ground more times than expected during game. Instincts a work in progress. Can be slow to process what he sees and can be frozen by zone-read looks. Not much bang behind his pads as a tackler. Big runners squeeze out additional yards after contact against him. Will vacate his run fit with constant attempts to get over the top of block rather than reading and reacting to both gaps. Not as twitchy and sudden as expected. Feet are a little heavy and it takes just a second to accelerate up to speed after quick direction changes. More attention by offenses brought much fewer sacks. Flagged for offsides 10 times over last two years and 14 penalties total.
Draft Projection Round 1
Sources Tell Us "I think all that hype headed into the year hurt him some because he's not a superman off the edge. But he's a good player. He's athletic with good hands and every pass rusher starts to add to what they do in the pros. If he dedicates himself to the game, he's going to be one of the safest guys in the draft." -- NFC director of personnel
NFL Comparison Ryan Kerrigan
Bottom Line Body beautiful college end who has the talent and upside to play with a hand down or standing in the pros. Bosa might not have the pure edge speed to be an elite pass rusher, but his hand usage and ability to generate push as a bull-rusher should make him a very good 4-3 base end or a 3-4 outside linebacker. Bosa has a few more flaws than some may be willing to admit and his upside might be good rather than great, but his traits and growth potential as a player make him a safe selection. Bosa might be at his best with a defensive coordinator willing to move him around the field.
Overview
Bosa plans to follow in the footsteps of his father and uncle as NFL first-round picks; John Bosa was picked 16th overall by Miami in 1987 coming out of Boston College, while Eric Kumerow was picked in the same spot, again by the Dolphins, the following year. Joey Bosa's own potential as an elite prospect has been clear since arriving in Columbus, as he made his way into the starting lineup 10 times as a true freshman (13.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks) to earn honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. As a sophomore, he captured unanimous All-American honors, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award (led the conference with 21 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks) and was named a finalist for three national awards as the nation’s top defender: the Lombardi Award, Outland Trophy, and Ted Hendricks Award. His junior year got off to a slow start, however, as he was suspended for the opener for violating team rules. Statistically, his 2015 season was not as impressive as the year before (16 tackles for loss, five sacks) but Big Ten coaches still named him the conference’s Defensive Lineman of the Year because of his rare combination of strength against the run and consistent presence in the backfield.
Pro Day Results
40-yard dash: 4.77 seconds
Vertical: 31 1/2 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 1 inch
Bench: 28 reps of 225 pounds
Analysis
Strengths Has an NFL-ready frame. Good muscular definition and flexibility to go along with a confident, competitive attitude. Solid upfield burst off the snap. Has booming power in his hands. Uses arm extension and forward lean as his primary weapon. Generates speed-to-power bullrush and plays off of that with a punch and pull technique that pulls tackles off-balance. Focuses pass rush attack on outside shoulder of tackle using forward lean and aggressive hand play. Active hands can completely wipe out a tackle’s weak outside hand allowing him to cave-in the edge. Usually gets hands on defender first. Able to stack and slide along line of scrimmage in pursuit of ball-carrier. Strong core and able to rag doll tight ends who aren’t committed to the fight. Adequate closing burst to the ball. Looks fluid and nimble when dropping into space. Has the talent and traits to be used more aggressively than he was at Ohio State. Grew as a run defender this season. Has forced five fumbles over the last two years. Football is in his blood with a father who was drafted by Dolphins in first round of 1987 draft and an uncle who played at Ohio State in the mid-80s. Motor will never be a problem.
Weaknesses Too contact-oriented in his rush and needs to learn to leverage himself around the edge. Forward lean can cause him to go flying when defenders give him a shove. Tape shows surprising lack of play strength when he’s attacked on his edge. Struggles to fight back when being washed down by down blocks. Will end up on the ground more times than expected during game. Instincts a work in progress. Can be slow to process what he sees and can be frozen by zone-read looks. Not much bang behind his pads as a tackler. Big runners squeeze out additional yards after contact against him. Will vacate his run fit with constant attempts to get over the top of block rather than reading and reacting to both gaps. Not as twitchy and sudden as expected. Feet are a little heavy and it takes just a second to accelerate up to speed after quick direction changes. More attention by offenses brought much fewer sacks. Flagged for offsides 10 times over last two years and 14 penalties total.
Draft Projection Round 1
Sources Tell Us "I think all that hype headed into the year hurt him some because he's not a superman off the edge. But he's a good player. He's athletic with good hands and every pass rusher starts to add to what they do in the pros. If he dedicates himself to the game, he's going to be one of the safest guys in the draft." -- NFC director of personnel
NFL Comparison Ryan Kerrigan
Bottom Line Body beautiful college end who has the talent and upside to play with a hand down or standing in the pros. Bosa might not have the pure edge speed to be an elite pass rusher, but his hand usage and ability to generate push as a bull-rusher should make him a very good 4-3 base end or a 3-4 outside linebacker. Bosa has a few more flaws than some may be willing to admit and his upside might be good rather than great, but his traits and growth potential as a player make him a safe selection. Bosa might be at his best with a defensive coordinator willing to move him around the field.
Comment