Kiper: 49ers’ Nick Bosa could be a leading candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper posted an article on Thursday night taking a look at winners and head-scratchers from round one of the 2019 NFL Draft. The San Francisco 49ers selected defensive end Nick Bosa out of Ohio State and, in doing so, bolstered a defensive front which has been unable to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks in recent years.

The addition of Bosa could help. He will join Pro Bowlers DeForest Bucker and Dee Ford, who both combined for 25 sacks in 2018. Kiper can envision Bosa finding a lot of success at the NFL level within a group made up of five first-round picks (Bosa, Ford, Buckner, Solomon Thomas, and Arik Armstead).

"Consider the Niners' front seven fortified with the addition of Bosa, my top-ranked overall prospect, and trade for Dee Ford this offseason," writes Kiper. "Yes, the 49ers have now taken four defensive linemen in the first round since 2015, but Bosa is the real deal. He could be a leading candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year."

Kiper also mentioned two other NFC West teams as winners — the Arizona Cardinals, who selected quarterback Kyler Murray of Oklahoma, and the Seattle Seahawks, who selected defensive end L.J. Collier of TCU.

As for the team up the I-880, the Oakland Raiders, Kiper was not a fan of their top pick, defensive end Clelin Ferrell of Clemson. He saw the selection as a reach and categorized it as a head-scratcher.