San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa could not have escaped the Trent Williams questions even if he tried. It has been one of training camp's most anticipated matchups, and so far, it has delivered. It's the rising NFL star and reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year versus one of the best in the game and a seven-time Pro Bowler.
Bosa was bombarded with questions about going against Williams, and his responses also delivered. Below is a rundown of those questions asked during Thursday's video conference call with the second-year defender, along with his complete answers.
Bosa on wanting to win one-on-one drills while also working on pass-rush moves
"I think anybody would tell you, O-line or D-line, it's not the most realistic thing compared to team reps. But it's definitely a good tool to work on, maybe something you wanted to work on. For me, going against Trent, it's just trying to win whatever way I can. I try not to get too caught up in the one-on-ones because then it could kind of throw you off for the rest of practice. If you lose a couple, then you might get angry and not focus as hard the rest of practice. Or if you win a couple, you get too confident going into the next period. I try to at least split them, one win, one loss. That's what I'd hope for. You're not going to beat Trent clean very often. So, getting a clean win on him is a good feeling."
Bosa on judging how Williams looks after missing a year
"I obviously have never planed him before, so I don't know exactly how he was before. But it definitely feels like he's feeling great and playing really well. I'm definitely confident in Jimmy's left side. Not that the rest of the O-line isn't great, but having Trent, it's going to be a huge help for him. It's really fun to go against him every day. He's not a dirty player at all. He's not pushing you after plays. He's just getting good work in between the whistles. You have to come with the right mindset every day, and not let the bad reps get to you as much. But from what I've seen, he's going to be very helpful this year to us."
What Bosa has told Jimmy Garoppolo about Williams
"I've definitely told him he's going to have some time on the left side. Jimmy's been spoiled with Joe, and now Trent, so it doesn't get much better."
Have you gone against a tackle who combines athleticism and size as Trent does?
"I have not. I'd say the closest is probably Duane Brown from Seattle. He's honestly not as tall as I thought he was going to be, which kind of makes him more difficult because he's got a really low center of gravity. It's tough to power him and get underneath him, which is something that I like to use to my advantage. And for him, he plays so low to the ground, and he can bend so well that he's never really up high and exposing himself to power. On normal moves that I would usually be happy about, and probably beat other offensive linemen with pretty cleanly, he's right in your hip pocket when you're making the burst to the quarterback. Just his ability to recover and get back in front of you is elite."
Bosa on what he's learned and improved on thanks to his battles with Williams.
"Just how to attack him specifically. Just changing up how I approach each rush. You can't really have anything set in your mind that you're going to do concrete. Like, I always have a plan before my rush, but with him, he changes up his set and where he makes contact with you and how he shoots his hands. He changes it up daily on almost every play, it seems like. It's just forced me to react a little bit more and just learn new ways to beat different hand punches and grabs. I'm just learning a bunch of good stuff, so hopefully, it will help me out this year."