The 49ers selected Nick Bosa with the second pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Let’s take a look at what John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan had to say about their new pass rusher.
They got their guy. On Thursday, the San Francisco 49ers selected Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa with the No. 2 pick in 2019 NFL Draft. General manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shananan met with the media in Santa Clara following the selection. Here are some of the takeaways from the 49ers’ leadership at Thursday’s press conference:
All the tools
Bosa was widely regarded as the most polished, NFL-ready pass rusher in the draft. His long-standing position atop draft boards was a testament to his impressive skillset and outlook as a Pro Bowl-caliber player. Lynch echoed these sentiments in his review of what made Bosa the team’s target at No. 2.
“One thing, we talked a lot with [DL] Dee [Ford], that first step.” Lynch said. “Nick has a tremendous first step. He gains a ton of ground. It’s incredibly quick. But, I think a mix of speed and power, and then he’s an absolute technician with his hands.”
In 30 games at Ohio State, Bosa totaled 77 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. He was on pace for roughly 24 tackles for loss and 16 sacks in 2018 prior to injury. Bosa offers the 49ers an immediate impact player at a position of need.
“He’s not only incredibly talented, powerful, fast, but he’s very efficient in the way he plays, and you put that together and you think you have a pretty special package,” Lynch said.
It was always Bosa
Bosa was the top player on the vast majority of big boards throughout the draft process. The 49ers were long assumed to be one pick out of reach until rumors began to swirl of quarterback Kyler Murray headed to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 1. It always seemed too good to be true for San Francisco, but it was clear when speaking to media that the 49ers were confident Bosa would be availably on Thursday.
“Nick Bosa is a player who we have long coveted and grown in our appreciation probably every time we watch him, it gets better,” Lynch said. “When that happened, that final decision, it just kind of kept getting stronger and stronger. But, I’d say for weeks we’ve solidified on this pick.”
The Cardinals did indeed select Murray, gifting the 49ers with Bosa at second-overall. Lynch said that the team received some trade interest, but nothing that was strong enough to pull them away from Bosa.
He’s healthy
Bosa’s biggest knock is his injury history. He tore his ACL as a senior in high school. At Ohio State, Bosa suffered a core muscle injury during his junior year that effectively ended his college career. Many felt Bosa could’ve returned later in the season, but he instead opted to fully recover and begin preparing for his NFL career. Lynch diminished concerns when asked if Bosa was healthy on Thursday.
“He is,” said Lynch. “I guess we’re the beneficiary of him taking the year. He’s healthy. He’s ready to go. We’ll have a rookie mini-camp this coming weekend, and he’ll be ready to roll.”
Ford, who will be rushing the passer opposite Bosa, has also underwent a serious back surgery in 2017. The 49ers’ new pair of pass rushers both come with injury concerns, which the 49ers undoubtedly hope are in the past as they seek to take the next step and complete for a playoff spot in 2019.
Confidence in character
As the draft neared, Bosa’s character began to come under fire due to some questionable past activity on social media. In 2014, a 16-year old Bosa “liked” an Instagram post, a photo of his friend and girlfriend, that contained both racist and homophobic hashtags. When asked about the activity, Lynch was quick to defer back to his experience with Bosa along with the endorsements from friends, coaches, teammates and others who knew Nick.
“That’s not something that we like, but I think that a long time ago, and I think we choose to think more about what we’ve heard from people as to who the person really is, and I think Nick will speak to you all, and I think that we’re going to give him a fresh start, and we’d hope that everybody would,” Lynch said.
Shanahan also chimed in on Bosa’s character.
“So, I think it’s not right, but it’s also not the person that we’ve been around, and it’s not the person that we believe he is, and it’s not the person that we’ve been told he is by a lot of people that we do trust.” Shanahan said. “I think we’re pretty confident that he’ll get here and show everyone else that’s the same thing.”
Gould not gone
“No.”
That was Shanahan’s concise reply when asked if the 49ers planned to trade kicker Robbie Gould. The 13-year veteran and Chicago resident requested a trade on Tuesday after the 49ers utilized the franchise tag to secure his services in 2019.
Gould made 72 of 75 field goals over the past two seasons for the 49ers as one of the NFL’s premier kickers. His $5 million franchise tag would make him among the highest paid kickers in the NFL. Shanahan says he understands Gould’s desire to be closer to home, but also knows it’s in the team’s best interest to secure Gould’s services next season.
“So, unfortunately we know we’re not going to have him long-term here,” Shanahan said. “I think that’s been pretty clear. No hard feelings about that. I do understand his reasons. But, pretty excited to have a good kicker this year.”
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