SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ Nick Bosa's biannual task for the 49ers will be to pressure, sack and torment the only player drafted ahead of him Thursday, that being Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
As for the other games, Bosa needs to mimic that from his defensive end spot as a pass-rushing complement to Dee Ford, a speedy edge rusher the 49ers traded for last month from Kansas City.
With a better pass rush should come more wins and, especially, more turnovers for a franchise that set a NFL record with only two interceptions last year.
Bosa attended the NFL's draft festivities in Nashville, Tenn., and is expected to be introduced Friday at 49ers headquarters. He exchanged about an 8-second hug with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell upon taking the stage after his selection.
"It's a new journey. So excited to be back on a team," Bosa said on ESPN at the draft. "Can't wait to get to work. This is all the work I've put in since I was 7 years old and it's finally here.
"I want to get with my team and kick some butt on the field. I'm so excited to be here."
So why Bosa, who missed most of his final season at Ohio State with a core-muscle tear, over perceived finalist Quinnen Williams, an Alabama defensive tackle?
Perhaps it was based on priority of needs, with Bosa being an ideal bookend opposite Ford in a new, cut-it-loose scheme lacking acclaimed alternatives on the roster.
Perhaps it was Bosa's family background. His brother, Joey, has delivered as the Chargers' 2016 first-round pick. Their father, John, and uncle, Eric Kumerow, were first-round picks in 1987 and '88, respectively, who played three years each as Miami Dolphins defensive ends.
What surely swayed the 49ers was Bosa's on-field capabilities, whether it's slicing his powerful frame (6-foot-4, 266 pounds) into the backfield or holding firm on the edge.
"Nick's a heck of a player. He's one we really enjoyed studying throughout this process," general manager John Lynch said Monday.
Bosa does come with a concern beyond his injury history, although that depends on one's social and political stances, especially as it pertains to him deleting old Tweets about being pro-Trump and anti-Kaepernick.
"I'm not really worried about Twitter anymore," Bosa told NBC Sports Bay Area on Wednesday at a pre-draft event in Nashville. "I think the people who know me, know who I am.
"And I'm going to keep my opinions to myself from now on."
OK, so he won't be a conservative activist off the field. Bosa now must blend fast to a 49ers locker room that's undergone an extreme makeover under coach Kyle Shanahan and Lynch the past two years, all in an effort to snap a five-year postseason drought.
The 49ers have tried reversing their fortunes by repeatedly restocking their defensive line. Bosa is the fourth defensive lineman taking with their top pick in the past five years, joining Arik Armstead (2015), DeForest Buckner (2016) and Solomon Thomas (2017). Right tackle Mike McGlinchey broke that string with his selection at No. 9 last year.
