San Francisco 49ers: Power ranking top 10 players entering 2020
EDGE Nick Bosa. 2. player. 42. . .
49ers EDGE Nick Bosa
It must be a scary thought for opposing offenses Nick Bosa was just a rookie in 2019.
The NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year was the runaway winner of the award and he put up one of the most incredible rookie seasons PFF has ever seen in its existence.
And yet the pass-rusher out of Ohio State can still get better, as he adds to his pass-rushing arsenal and works on finishing sacks that he missed in 2019.
If he does that, and there’s little reason to believe he won’t, the rest of the league should be quite worried.
Bosa was elite in 2019 not just because of his sacks (although he did hit double digits as a rookie, at least according to PFF; Pro Football Reference has him at nine), but because of his 80 pressures, a record for a rookie.
It certainly helps Bosa is part of a defensive line that is absolutely stacked with talent, but that fact suggests that Bosa wouldn’t be good on his own, which most certainly doesn’t seem like the case.
The 49ers brass bet that improving the pass rush would make the defense a lot better in 2019, and that’s exactly what happened. Bosa was one of the key cogs in that improvement, and as he gets better, it stands to reason the 49ers’ defense should continue to be strong.