Going up against 49ers second-year defensive end Nick Bosa didn’t allow Trent Williams much time to re-acclimate after missing all of last season. Any rust the left tackle had accumulated had to come off quick when facing off against the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year in practice.
Bosa racked up 80 pressures in the regular season last year and 9.0 sacks. He also had an interception, a forced fumble and 16 tackles for loss. Williams was aware of Bosa’s dominance last year, but getting up-close experience made him raise the bar for the young defensive end.
“Nick, he’s better than I already thought he was, and I knew he was top three, four in the game,” Williams said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “But just going up against him every day, seeing how smart he is, seeing how hard he works, and seeing just how seriously he takes the game, I honestly see his trajectory as being one of the best in the game.”
He went on to explain how high Bosa’s ceiling is:
“When it’s all said and done, when you say who’s the best pass-rusher, all-around D-end, I think Nick Bosa may be the first name that comes out of a lot of people’s mouth.”
It’s worth noting that Bosa hasn’t necessarily dominated the matchup, which speaks to the level Williams is playing in his return. He was one of the best left tackles in the league before missing last season, and his performance against Bosa shows he’s still in that conversation. The fact he has so much praise for the former No. 2 pick points to an encore performance from him that eclipses what he did in Year 1.
The ceiling for Bosa is extremely high, and as long as he’s playing at a high level on the edge, San Francisco’s defense should be among the NFL’s best.