There are a lot of football-related reasons to like former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa, who will likely hear his name called during the top selections in this month's draft. He is widely considered to be one of the best prospects among this year's incoming rookie class, if not the best.
Bosa racked up 8.5 sacks to go along with his 16 tackles for a loss through 14 games as a sophomore in 2017 and followed that up with four sacks through three games in 2018. That junior year was cut short after Bosa underwent surgery due to a core muscle injury. He opted out of the remainder of the season to focus on his recovery and prepare for the draft.
Bosa's high school career also ended with an injury. He suffered a torn ACL in November of 2015 but came back and had a productive collegiate career with the Buckeyes.
NFL experts don't seem to be concerned with Bosa's injury history since he is being discussed as a top pick. Former 49ers tight end Brent Jones, however, joked on Tuesday during a KNBR interview that San Francisco might have different reasons to select Bosa at No. 2.
"They're going to take Bosa unless just out of the blue they decide the pass rusher — I've been hearing on the street that the pass rusher out of Kentucky, Josh Allen, is rising up the boards," Jones said on the "Tolbert and Lund" show. "That would be a little bit of a changeup if they went there, but it wouldn't be the worst thing. I think either one of those guys would be great.
"I think Bosa is kind of the guy that everybody thinks (the 49ers will select), but he did have a couple of years where he was hurt, which means we love him."
RELATED Ohio State DE Nick Bosa is visiting the 49ers today
The 49ers' tradition of drafting injured players has carried over from the Trent Baalke era. The most recent examples are defensive end Kentavius Street (ACL) and safety Marcell Harris (Achilles) from the team's 2018 draft class.
Unlike those players, Bosa is healthy heading into the draft. He was a full participant at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.
"I'm feeling better than I've ever felt, right now," Bosa told reporters in Indianapolis.
Bosa is visiting with the 49ers on Thursday after having dinner with team decision-makers on Wednesday night.
You can listen to the entire interview with Jones below. The discussion surrounding the draft begins at about the 15-minute mark.
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