San Francisco 49ers: 4 possible first-time All-Pros in 2021
By Peter Panacy
49ers All-Pro Candidate No. 2: EDGE Nick Bosa
In all reality, this is something we could have said a year ago after 2019 rookie EDGE Nick Bosa took home Pro Bowl honors and that year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year accolade after being drafted by San Francisco at No. 2 overall.
But Bosa’s season-ending ACL tear in Week 2 cut into all of that, putting a temporary hold on a career trajectory that could potentially be Pro Football Hall of Fame worthy.
After posting nine regular-season sacks in 2019, Bosa’s 2021 efforts could go one of two different ways. The 49ers pass rush might not be as deep as it was two years ago, and the fact Bosa still needs to get his proverbial “football legs” back underneath him could result in him having something of a down year.
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Or, with the realization he needs to be a bigger force within the defensive line, Bosa winds up being perfectly equal to the task and winds up shouldering the bulk of the Niners’ pass-rushing needs en route to sack and tackle-for-a-loss totals getting deep into double-digit numbers.
If the latter happens, Bosa should be able to put himself into first-team All-Pro consideration along with other top pass-rushers around the league like the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt and the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett.
Bosa is already one of the NFL’s top up-and-coming players, and as long as he returns healthy, we’re probably looking at a long line of eventual first-team All-Pro nods over his career.