Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Nick Bosa is garnering high praise. Will the 2019 NFL Draft prospect live up to the hype next season?
It’s far too early for one to believe that a scouting report will tell them everything they need to know about the 2019 NFL Draft. The must-have prospects tend to be identified sooner than later, however, and Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Nick Bosa appears to fit the bill.
While there may be close to a year separating Bosa from being drafted into the NFL, analysts are already showering him with adulation.
Bosa plays for one of the most respected programs in the country, which is certainly a feather in his cap. The question, however, is whether or not he can live up to the hype that’s being created so early in the 2019 NFL Draft process.
For those who are wondering what the hype is exactly, try this scouting report from Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com.
"This one is easy — my comp for him is Joey Bosa…If I were to go outside the family, I would compare him to Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence."
Whether he plays more like Joey Bosa or Demarcus Lawrence, the bottom line is that Nick Bosa is regarded as a player with star potential.
Joey Bosa has recorded 23.0 sacks in just 28 games in the NFL, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2017 and the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2016. Lawrence is coming off of a season during which he recorded 14.5 sacks and was named a second-team All-Pro.
Both comparisons are ambitious, to say the least, but it isn’t just Jeremiah who’s praising Nick Bosa this early in the process.
Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN has Bosa as the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft, and Pro Football Focus has him graded as the best edge defender in the class.
With the hype mounting, the pressure will soon follow for Bosa. He had an outstanding season in 2017, amassing 16.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks en route to First Team All-Big Ten honors, but he’ll be playing for a team that lost a great deal of talent to the NFL.
That includes fellow defensive linemen Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis, and Jalyn Holmes—all of whom were selected within the first four rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft.
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The question is: Will Nick Bosa justify the 2019 NFL Draft hype during his junior season with the Ohio State Buckeyes?