The raw numbers aren’t eye-popping, but 49ers’ first-round pick Nick Bosa had an undeniably productive college career.
Injuries in his junior season limited Bosa to just three games. He played 29 total games across three seasons with 29 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. His career-best in the sack column was the 8.0 he notched as a sophomore.
Those numbers are strong. His tape is also terrific. Perhaps the best statistical indicator of his on-field dominance was his production according to football analytics site Pro Football Focus.
PFF graded him at a sensational 93.1 overall in his three-game junior season. That was the top mark among edge defenders in the country.
That wasn’t an outlier mark either. He put up a 93.9 overall number as a sophomore, and he had a 92.5 pass-rush grade in back-to-back years to close his career. The average grade is 60.0 in PFF’s grading system.
It’s difficult to find a lot wrong with Bosa on the field. He checks effectively every box a team wants from an edge rusher, and the 49ers may have lucked into the best player in the draft to fill their biggest need.
