Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa didn’t do much to impress scouts at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis yesterday, namely running the 40 yard dash in 4.86 seconds, well below expectations.
As a result, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, coaches now don’t view Bosa as someone who can be an elite NFL pass rusher. For someone who had 26 sacks in three years at Ohio State, that’s quite the dip in stock.
Thus begin the questions surrounding Bosa’s ceiling. He has the size at 6-foot-5, 269 pounds, and Cole suggested the idea of him putting on weight so he could make himself more attractive to teams that run certain systems.
But here’s another interesting point. Cole said that Bosa was now viewed more as a Justin Smith-type player than J.J. Watt, but is that really a bad thing? Keep in mind that Smith was drafted fourth overall out of Missouri by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001 and went on to make five Pro Bowls while playing for the San Francisco 49ers. He finished his career with 87 sacks in 14 seasons, which is a highly respectable number.
That all being said, coaches should realize that not every pass rusher needs to have 15-20 sacks a year. Watt only had 5.5 sacks his rookie year before having 20.5 his sophomore season. Moreover, let’s not forget that Watt’s 40 time was just two tenths of a second faster than Bosa’s.
Thus, until Bosa steps on an NFL field and plays, saying he can’t be an elite pass rusher may be a bit premature.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports