SF 49ers: 5 young players fans should be excited about in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers EDGE Nick Bosa
Well, this one is fairly obvious.
The SF 49ers sorely missed their best pass-rusher, EDGE Nick Bosa, for the bulk of 2020 after he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 2. A year after emerging as the Defensive Player of the Year, there was chatter Bosa could end up securing Defensive Player of the Year honors.
While it’s always tricky to bounce back from such an injury, that discussion should be on the table again in 2021.
The Athletic’s Matt Barrows reported Bosa’s rehab and recovery are going along well, and there’s every indication to believe the star edge rusher returns full to form this upcoming season. And while the Niners defensive line has other injury and depth concerns, there’s no questioning Bosa’s impact should be felt when he’s on the field.
Paired with Javon Kinlaw’s maturation, Bosa could wind up getting into that double-digit sack threshold he came oh-so close to hitting his rookie season in 2019.
Anything beyond that would be prolific, especially considering his injury from last year.