Every year, we poll 49ers Webzone fans to determine the San Francisco 49ers' most valuable player in the eyes of The Faithful. This season's MVP was probably clear even before the voting started. Although, there was a chance that Christian McCaffrey, the star running back acquired from the Carolina Panthers ahead of the trade deadline, could steal away a significant number of the votes, and he did.
Still, defensive end Nick Bosa's dominant 2022 campaign was enough to solidify his lead among 49ers teammates. The star pass rusher earned over 43 percent of the fans from fans. McCaffrey came in second with nearly 29 percent of the votes, while rookie quarterback Brock Purdy earned almost 21 percent.
Our fans have chosen an MVP annually since the 1998 season when quarterback Steve Young became the first player to win the honor. The last defensive lineman to earn the award was DeForest Buckner for his 2016 campaign efforts.
Bosa finished the 2022 season with a league-leading 18.5 sacks, adding 51 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 48 quarterback hits, a pass defensed, and two forced fumbles. Per Pro Football Focus, his 90 total pressures tied with Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons for the most in the league.
Bosa's Pro Football Focus overall grade of 90.9, pass rush grade of 90.9, and tackle grade of 71.4 are career highs. He earned first-team All-Pro honors and was selected to his third Pro Bowl roster. Bosa is the favorite to be named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
San Francisco made Bosa the No. 2 overall pick, selecting him out of Ohio State in the 2019 NFL Draft. The talented pass rusher was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in his first season. Bosa is in his fourth NFL season and is likely slated to become the highest-paid defender in the NFL.
