The San Francisco 49ers beefed up their defensive line this offseason. The team added two pass rushers to complement Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. One is veteran Dee Ford, and the other is rookie Nick Bosa. While the former has been sidelined by a bit of knee tendinitis, the latter has been impressing during training camp.
The hope is that an improved pass rush will help with the 49ers' turnover dilemma. The defense had just seven combined turnovers in 2018, an NFL-record low. That included a league-low two interceptions, also a new NFL record for the fewest in a single season.
Cornerback Richard Sherman joined KNBR after Tuesday's practice and discussed Bosa and what he brings to the 49ers defense.
"Nick doesn't look like a rookie at all," Sherman said. "As a DB, you watch D-line movement, and you can kind of tell [if it was] foot speed, it was this, it was hand placement that won that rep. With Nick, you really can't tell how he's winning.
"It just looks like he's feeling their movement, and he's going opposite. He's feeling and leaning on them, he's using their weight against them, and it doesn't look like anything crazy that he's doing.
"As you watch it, it's just like a slow-motion win every time […] It seems like slow-mo, but in real-time, it's a second-and-a-half, it's two seconds. He's getting there really fast.
"He's beating some really good guys. I've seen him beat Joe (Staley), I've seen him beat double teams, I've seen him get (Mike) McGlinchey, and then I've seen him get blocked a few times. For him to be a rookie, moving like he is, and making the plays that he does is really impressive."
General manager John Lynch agrees with Sherman's evaluation of Bosa.
"He's a really good football player, and he's polished," Lynch said of the rookie during an NFL Network interview on Saturday. "A lot of guys, even if you pick them at two, there's a getting-used-to period, but he's such a polished football player. He's giving them fits already."
You can listen to the entire interview with Sherman below.
