49ers’ 5 most important defensive players entering 2019
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: EDGE Nick Bosa
Some may argue Nick Bosa should be ranked higher on this list. Perhaps, but one has to take into account Bosa has yet to play a single down at the NFL level. And despite being the second overall player selected in the draft, Bosa still has a world to prove at the pro level.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers won’t rely on him to do everything right away. Make a quick impact, yes. But not to be a game changer right out of the gate.
Still, finding himself on this list says a lot.
Bosa’s role in passing situations is pretty easy to determine. He’ll likely wind up being a strong-side edge rusher, handling both contain and pass-rushing duties lining up just outside of the tight end in the Niners’ new wide-9 alignment.
But Bosa was a good run defender at Ohio State, too, meaning Robert Saleh can either put him in as a weak-side run stopper or keep him on the strong side in a similar role.
Bosa is dealing with a hamstring injury, which kept him out of the majority of offseason workouts so far.
That said, San Francisco used such a lofty pick on him for a reason, and he’s expected to provide a pretty big presence as soon as physically possible.