The San Francisco 49ers selected Ohio State defensive lineman Nick Bosa with the second overall pick in the draft for a reason, and Bosa's collegiate defensive college coach knows exactly why:
“Nick has a high ceiling because he got all of this work early,” Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson told Larry Krueger and NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. “His first step is wicked — if you're not real careful, he'll go right by you. He's constantly concentrating on getting off the football — laser focused — and that's because he's trying to catch every snap he can.”
Bosa played in just three games during his junior campaign due to a shoulder injury, but he still managed to total 14 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, a forced fumble and a defensive touchdown during that time.
Johnson added that he thinks playing wide in the 49ers' defense is going to be huge for Bosa:
Article Continues Below“I love the idea that he's going to play wide. He loves that,” Johnson said. “Just have to be careful with how wide you play him getting to the quarterback. That's the key. He's got to do a great job of running the right angle and I'm sure quite sure Coach (Kris Kocurek) is coaching that right now — the right angle to get to the quarterback.”
Bosa arrived at Ohio State in 2016, finishing with 29 tackles, seven tackles for loss and five sacks. Then, during his sophomore year, he racked up 34 stops, 16 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
For a team that ranked just 22nd in the league with 37 sacks this past season, the Niners could certainly use Bosa's presence along their defensive front.