An Ohio State perspective on the 49ers first-round draft pick

We can dissect the San Francisco 49ers No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa all we want. There will still be plenty of details we just don’t know. Patrick Mayhorn of Land-Grant Holy Land was kind enough to take time and answer six questions about Bosa.

1) Kyle Shanahan talked about how Bosa’s teammates felt about him. What was Bosa’s reputation around campus/teammates?

Patrick: I can’t speak to his reputation around campus, but by all accounts he was well liked by his teammates at Ohio State. The team welcomed him back with open arms at their pre-Rose Bowl practices when he visited, and he seemed to be pretty popular with everyone.

2) I know he came in as one of the highest recruits, but how long did it take for you to realize Bosa was the real deal?

Patrick: Nick pretty much came to Ohio State as the player he is now. Obviously he fine tuned his game with Larry Johnson, but he was pretty dominant right away. It took a year for him to see truly significant playing time (though he played plenty as a freshman), but he was ready to go from day one.

3) Okay, Bosa can’t be perfect. He had to do something during his three years at Ohio State on the field that caused some sort of concern. What was that?

Patrick: He struggles with long, athletic tackles. The best example of this is probably the 2017 game against Oklahoma, where Orlando Brown and Bobby Evans took turns shutting Bosa down. He just doesn’t have the natural athletic ability or length to counter a player like that, so hyper-athletic tackles can cause him some issues.

4) Is the comparison to big brother Joey fair and why?

Patrick: The comparison is completely fair. Like Nick, Joey came to Ohio State essentially as a finished product, and they had essentially the same career in Columbus. Their skill sets are almost identically, and I’d be shocked if there’s any noticeable difference between them as NFL players.

5) What’s the best part Bosa’s game?

Patrick: His technical skill is outstanding. He’s an extremely smart player, and there really aren’t many linemen more technically gifted than the Bosa brothers. He has the full arsenal of moves and can use them to break down almost any tackle he faces.

6) Bosa has to do what to live up to the hype/his draft status?

Really, he just has to keep playing his game. He comes in as finished a product as any player in the draft, and I think he’ll be an all-pro caliber player for years as long as he can stay healthy.