Quick Facts
Biography
Nicholas John Bosa (born October 23, 1997) is an American football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, and was drafted second overall by the 49ers in the 2019 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Bosa was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year by having nine sacks and helping the team reach Super Bowl LIV.
Early years
Bosa attended St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he was a four-year starter and a multi-year first team all-state player. He was a five-star recruit and was ranked among the best players in his class. He committed to Ohio State University to play college football.
College career
Bosa played in all 13 games as a true freshman at Ohio State in 2016, recording 29 tackles, seven of which were for a loss, and five sacks.
In his sophomore year, he became the starting defensive end for the Buckeyes in seven games. Bosa was named a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten and the Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year for his 32 total tackles (14.5 for a loss) and a team leading seven sacks. Additionally, he had two pass breakups, eight quarterback hurries and a blocked kick.
On September 20, 2018, it was reported that Bosa underwent core muscle surgery, ruling him out indefinitely. On October 16, Bosa announced that he was withdrawing from Ohio State for the rest of the season. After the season, Bosa decided to forego his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL Draft.
Statistics
| Year | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Total | Loss | Sack | Int | Yards | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yards | TD | FF | ||
| 2016 | 12 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 14 | 19 | 15 | 34 | 16 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Professional career
Coming out of Ohio State, Bosa was projected to be the first overall pick in the draft by a majority of analysts and scouts. Bosa received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine as one of the top prospects at the draft. He completed all of the required combine drills and positional drills except for the 10 yard and 20 yard split. Bosa met and interviewed with 8 NFL teams at the combine, including the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, New York Giants, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A week before the draft, Bosa was criticized by some due to his political beliefs and controversial tweets, such as calling Colin Kaepernick a "clown", expressing support for US president Donald Trump, and "liking" a post on Instagram that included racial and homophobic slurs as hashtags.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 ⁄4 in (1.92 m) | 266 lb (121 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 10 ⁄4 in (0.27 m) | 4.79 s | 4.14 s | 7.1 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) | 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) | 29 reps | 23 | ||
| All values are from NFL Scouting Combine | ||||||||||||
Bosa was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round with the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
2019 season
On July 25, 2019, Bosa signed a 4-year deal with the 49ers worth $33.5 million featuring a $22.5 million signing bonus and a fifth year option.
Bosa made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the game, he made 3 tackles and sacked quarterback Jameis Winston once in the 31–17 road victory. During a Week 5 31-3 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Bosa sacked Baker Mayfield twice, one of which resulted in a fumble, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In the next game against the Carolina Panthers, Bosa sacked Kyle Allen thrice and recorded his first career interception in the 51–13 win. He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance along with his brother Joey, who was voted AFC Defensive Player of the Week. The next day, Bosa was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for his play in October.
Bosa finished his rookie year with 47 tackles, nine sacks, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, two pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and 14 starts. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Vikings, Bosa sacked Kirk Cousins twice during the 27–10 win.In the NFC Championship Game against the Packers, Bosa sacked Aaron Rodgers once in the 37–20 win. At the NFL Honors, Bosa won the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, which his father accepted on his behalf due to Bosa being at the Super Bowl in Miami. In Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded a strip sack on Patrick Mahomes during the 31–20 loss.
2020 season
On September 20, 2020 against the New York Jets, Bosa was carted off the field early in the first quarter with a leg injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game. It is feared Bosa suffered a torn ACL.
NFL statistics
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Total | Ast | Sack | Sfty | Int | Yds | Lng | TD | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | |||
| 2019 | SF | 16 | 14 | 47 | 32 | 15 | 9.0 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |
| Career | 16 | 14 | 47 | 32 | 15 | 9.0 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | ||
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Total | Ast | Sack | Sfty | Int | Yds | Lng | TD | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2019 | SF | 3 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 3 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal life
His brother, Joey Bosa, also played college football at Ohio State from 2013 to 2015 before being the third overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. His father, John Bosa, was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 1987 NFL Draft out of Boston College. He is the great-grandson of former Chicago Outfit leader Tony Accardo.
