Nick Bosa is unofficially way farther from 49ers sack record than you think

Nick Bosa is rapidly climbing up the 49ers' all-time sack leaderboard, but he has a long way to go before getting to No. 1.

Provided San Francisco 49ers All-Pro defensive end Nick Bosa continues to enjoy a healthy career, doesn't completely suffer a meltdown in play and remains in a Niners uniform for the next few years, he'll likely wind atop the franchise's all-time sack list in the No. 1 spot.

Currently, as of the conclusion of the 2023 season, Bosa has 53.5 sacks ever since entering the league as San Francisco's top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

And that includes a zero-sack campaign in 2020 when Bosa suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 2.

Those 53.5 sacks may convince fans that Bosa is close to the top of the franchise's leaderboard.

It's not even half of the top leader, though.

Nick Bosa has ways to go before catching 49ers' all-time sack leader, Cedrick Hardman

When thinking about the 49ers' all-time best pass-rushers and sack artists in franchise history, two other names in addition to Bosa probably come to mind for most Niners fans: Bryant Young and Charles Haley.

Rightfully so. Both are Pro Football Hall of Famers, and they rank No. 2 and No. 4 on San Francisco's all-time sack list, respectively.

Bosa, meanwhile, ranks seventh on the franchise's all-time list entering 2024. And while a predictive 15-sack effort would place him ahead of Haley's 66.5 sacks by two, Bosa would still be a long way off from the 49ers' unofficial sack leader.

The late great, Cedrick Hardman.

The talented defensive end still leads the Niners with 108 sacks, recorded during his Niners tenure that lasted from 1970 through 1979. This was an age before sacks were recognized as official stats in 1982, but the unofficial tally easily makes him San Francisco's best in this particular category.

Additionally, Hardman recorded 121.5 sacks over his career, which ties him (unofficially) for 30th all time.

Bosa still has 54.5 more sacks to get before catching Hardman, slightly more than double what he has, currently.

It's a reachable mark, but Bosa will have to post some pretty impressive seasons to reach that feat within the next few years.

Of note, defensive end Tommy Hart (1968-1977) had 72.5 unofficial sacks with the 49ers, which would rank third best in team history between Young and Haley.

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