6 days ago
49ers EDGE draws massive respect in exec, coach, scout positional rankings for 2025
The San Francisco 49ers have a ton of talented players on their roster, but defensive end Nick Bosa may be the best that they send out each week.
Bosa, 27, played collegiately at Ohio Sate from 2016-18, winning Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and earning All-Big Ten and All-American honors in 2017.
The 49ers took him in the first round (No. 2 overall) of the 2019 NFL draft, and since then he's racked up five Pro Bowls, one All-Pro selection, a Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Defensive Player of the Year Award. He's also totaled 261 tackles (87 for a loss), 165 quarterback hits, 62.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, nine passes defensed, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler released the results of his annual EDGE rankings with votes from NFL executives, coaches and scouts. In that poll, Bosa was ranked as the fifth-best EDGE in the league.
"His leverage, explosiveness, power and polished rush arsenal are unmatched," an NFL personnel director said. "He has the same rush moves as [brother] Joey Bosa but with better play strength to win in a variety of ways."
Ahead of Bosa in these rankings are Cleveland's Myles Garrett, Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt, Dallas' Micah Parsons and Las Vegas' Maxx Crosby while Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson, Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson, Houston's Will Anderson, Houston's Danielle Hunter and Los Angeles' Jared Verse round out the top 10.
Bosa was ranked fourth in the league heading into 2024, but he missed three games last season and finished with his fewest quarterback hits and sacks since 2020 when he played in just two games due to a torn ACL.
The 49ers are going to need Bosa to be the best version of himself if they want to succeed in 2025, and if he can accomplish that feat, he could move back up in these rankings ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
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