San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Thursday night shortly after selecting former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa with the No. 2 overall pick.
The 49ers feel the addition of Bosa transforms a weakness on defense — the pass rush — into a strength.
"We've been hoping and trying to build our D-line since we've been here," Shanahan said. "We came here, and there was a few to start. This kind of solidifies our edge. We've always had some good guys on the inside, and there's no better way to finish a game than sacking the quarterback. You get that lead, and they've got to throw a ton.
"It's hard to come with just one guy, but we feel we've got a number of real good guys now, and we're really excited to put some pressure on the offenses."
Lynch is also excited about what the addition of Bosa to the defense means to the 49ers' future success.
"When we came here, a lot of our conversations centered around the quarterback and the guys to knock them down," Lynch said. "We feel like we're one step closer there. Collectively, we feel like we really have a unit to be dealt with by people, and now we've got to go put that to work."
A life changing call.
Go inside the #49ersDraft Room with @nbsmallerbear on the 📞. pic.twitter.com/V61weYioSJ
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 26, 2019
Bosa played in only three games with the Buckeyes in 2018 before a core muscle injury ended his season. Lynch believes because the injury occurred so early during the college season and was dealt with immediately, Bosa will be immediately available to his new NFL team.
The 49ers don't share the same durability concerns that some might have had about Bosa.
"We believe this guy is going to be a durable player for us for a long time," Lynch said. "You never know on that with any player, but we're confident in the work we've put in, in that respect."
Lynch explained that Bosa and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams of Alabama were the two prospects that separated themselves from the rest of the pack. The need for another edge defender was what eventually put Bosa above Williams.
Lynch continued, "When you've got two quality players that you essentially have, not even, but really close to even, you go to: What's our team need most? We needed edge a little more, and so we didn't hesitate to pull the trigger."
Lynch compared Bosa's first step to pass rusher Dee Ford's. The 49ers added Ford via a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs in March.
"You can tell he's been working on his pass rushing since he was about four years old, is what it looks like," Shanahan added. "And he's got some good ability too. That's usually why it takes guys a little bit longer in the league, but when you have that skillset with that practice, it makes him different than the rest."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan and Lynch below.
