San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive end Nick Bosa has been named the NFL Rookie of the Year and the Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.
In 16 regular season games played, Bosa had 47 total total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and two passes defended.
“…From a technical standpoint, obviously his hand-eye coordination is some of the best I’ve ever been around,” said 49ers’ defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. “He can get in there really, really close. He loves close-quarter combat. His movement skills, his instincts in pass-rush, his feel in pass-rush, is beyond what a rookie feels. The scary thing is, I was talking to [defensive line coach Kris] Kocurek today, he’s only going to get better. There’s so many things that he can learn from a recognition standpoint, play diagnosis standpoint, post snap. He’s only going to get better. To answer your question, it’s all the close-quarter stuff that he’s really good at.”
Bosa shined in his playoff debut with six tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, one pass defended, and three quarterback hits, as the 49ers defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 27-10.
“I felt pretty normal” Bosa said. “I knew getting [DL] Dee [Ford] back and getting [LB] Kwon [Alexander], [S Jaquiski] Tartt, just having them on the field, it’s a completely different energy. It’s the energy we had early in the year. It’s really fun playing on a really good team, just knowing that every person around you is going to do their job really well. Makes it a lot easier for me.”
Nick’s brother, Los Angeles Chargers’ Joey Bosa, was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016.
