On Tuesday, Nick Bosa expressed his surprise at how rapidly pass rusher Chase Young has impacted the San Francisco 49ers' defense since the team traded for him last month. The 49ers' pressure rate has surged, and the defensive front has reached the opposing quarterback more regularly.
Since Young's arrival, Bosa has recorded five sacks, a considerable improvement from the three he had before the trade. Bosa believes his former Ohio State teammate is developing into one of the league's most dominant pass rushers.
"Just watching him on tape, I think he could be like one of the top elite pass rushers in the league. And he's starting to get the hang of the scheme," Bosa said during a Tuesday morning radio interview.
Addressing reporters on Wednesday in the team's locker room, Bosa delved deeper into what has been surprising about Young since the former Washington Commander joined the 49ers.
"I don't watch too much Washington tape, so just seeing him back in person, I think he's more stout than I thought he would be," admitted Bosa. "I mean, I know he's an incredible athlete, and he could rush, but just the way he could play the run and do everything so quickly in this scheme, I wouldn't say [I was] surprised, but definitely very pleased with where he is as a player."
Young has only accumulated 1.5 sacks since the trade, bringing his season total to 6.5. However, the more he plays, the more comfortable he gets in his new defense and scheme. Young playing 59 percent of the defensive snaps provides other defensive linemen the opportunity to come off the sidelines well-rested.
"We try to have strength in numbers with our D-line," head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week. "We try to keep them fresh. We try to keep them going. So it's not just having to depend on one or two guys to make O-linemen miss to get sacks. It's creating edges on people, making the quarterback move, making the quarterback watch the rush, and when you have more guys out there, it's really what makes it go.
"And adding Chase has been a huge one for our unit, and that helps everyone else. And then he individually is good enough to make the plays, too, which he's gotten those ops, and he's come through with them."
While Young has made a quick impact on the football field, the defensive end is grateful to Bosa and the rest of his new teammates for making him feel at home off the field.
After playing his first game in red and gold, Young expressed his gratitude, saying, "I thank all the guys daily (for) welcoming me to the crew and, you know, excited to be here."