HEIGHT: 6-4

WEIGHT: 266

COLLEGE: Ohio State

CLASS: Junior

2018 STATS: 14 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 defensive touchdown, 1 forced fumble (3 games)

CAREER STATS: 77 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, 2 passes defended, 1 defensive touchdown, 2 forced fumbles (29 games)

GAMES WATCHED (11): Oregon State, TCU (2018); Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Oklahoma, USC (2017)

40	BENCH	VERT	BROAD	3 CONE	20S	60S
4.79	29	33.5″	116″	7.1	4.14

BALL GET-OFF (17/20)

• Pretty good first-step quickness; gets good depth out of stance in first few steps
• Generally times snap count well; can occasionally be a hair late with post-snap movement

RUN DEFENSE (19/20)

• Disciplined run defender that maintains gap responsibility
• Sets a firm edge; keeps outside shoulder clean to make tackles/pursue outside runs
• Good play recognition; reads and reacts well while engaged with blockers
• Great frontside and backside run defender; strength to hold up on the frontside, speed to pursue from the backside
• Reliable tackler in space or in traffic
• Generally takes good angles in run support; can occasionally give up the edge against elusive ball-carriers on cutbacks
• Disciplined defender that doesn’t bite on play fakes
• Good awareness of trap blocks/pulling linemen
• Diagnoses plays quickly

TECHNIQUE (15/15)

• Elite hand usage vs. run and pass
• Wide variety of pass rush moves/counters: swipe/rip, club/rip, club/swim, cross-chop, long-arm, push/pull, bull-rush, outside step/swat, stutter-step/club
• Leverage — fires off the snap with low pad level on a consistent basis
• Excellent hand placement/arm extension when defending the run
• Reads offensive tackle sets very well; knows how and when attack them based on their stance

POWER (15/15)

• Capable pocket-pusher with powerful bull-rush, long-arm
• Strong enough to hold up at 3-technique DT on obvious passing downs

FLEXIBILITY (13.5/15)

• Very impressive bend around the edge; can corner on offensive tackles at tight angles
• Great shoulder and ankle flexibility
• Lacks Von Miller/Harold Landry-level elite hip flexibility

SIZE/PHYSICAL TRAITS (5/5)

• Powerful, sturdy build makes him a fit for 4-3DE or 3-4OLB

MOTOR (5/5)

• Effort is consistently outstanding
• Relentless pass rusher and pursuit defender

SPEED/AGILITY (3.5/5)

• Very good closing speed/short-area burst
• Fairly agile/fluid movement in space; able to redirect fairly quickly
• Average top end speed

RED FLAGS

• Core muscle injury in 2018
• Tore ACL as a high school senior

OVERALL GRADE: 93.00/100.00 — ELITE — Perennial Pro Bowler with All-Pro potential

NFL COMPARISON: faster Joey Bosa

SCHEME FIT: 4-3 strong-side DE; can also play 4-3 weak-side DE, 3-4 OLB

DRAFT PROJECTION: Top-3 pick

“Nick Bosa is a rare four-tool edge rusher that can beat you with speed, power, flexibility and hand technique. With his elite run defense and pass-rush ability, he should quickly become a top-5 player at his position with the potential to average 12-15 sacks per year in the NFL.” – Dan Wussow