The 49ers needed 2019 No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa to turn into a Defensive Player of the Year caliber talent. It didn’t take him long to reach that point.
After winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award last season, Bosa is one of the early favorites for the Defensive Player of the Year award going into his second season according to sports betting site BetMGM.
Bosa is going off at +1300 ($100 bet wins $1300), behind only Kahlil Mack (+1000) and Aaron Donald (+750).
This is where San Francisco needed Bosa to get. They desperately needed a game-wrecker on the edge, and he quickly established himself as one of the league’s most dominant defenders. He wreaked havoc as a pass rusher and played very well against the run.
Pro Football Focus had Bosa down for 80 total pressures and 10 sacks in the 2019 regular season. He continued to dominate in the postseason with 22 pressures and four sacks in three playoff games.
Bosa continuing that success in Year 2 is going to be vital for the 49ers in their attempt to bounce back from their Super Bowl loss. They selected the defensive end out of Ohio State to be the centerpiece of their defense. They badly needed him to perform well and give them a presence they hadn’t had on the edge since the early part of the 2010s when Aldon Smith was dominating opposing offensive lines.
Getting Bosa to perform at a Defensive Player of the Year level was the ideal scenario, but the fact he reached that tier after just one season is remarkable.
Perhaps he hits a sophomore slump and sees a downturn in production in his second year as a pro. The early odds say he’s more likely to be the NFL’s best defensive player. Even if he doesn’t win and is just in the DPOY conversation in 2020, it’ll further establish Bosa as a home run pick for general manager John Lynch and the 49ers’ front office.
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