The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted pass rusher Josh Allen five picks after the San Francisco 49ers selected Nick Bosa. The early returns on Allen look good, so far. The 22-year-old rookie has impressed in his preseason appearances.
Meanwhile, Bosa hasn't practiced since suffering an ankle injury during practice on August 7. He has yet to make his in-game NFL debut.
Some questioned Bosa's ability to stay healthy as the defensive end entered the draft. He also sustained a low-grade hamstring strain on May 21, which forced him to miss the remainder of the 49ers' offseason program.
When he has practiced, Bosa has looked as good as advertised. Still, with his ability to stay healthy in question, some have wondered if the 49ers should have gone in a different direction — like a Josh Allen.
NFL Films producer and ESPN analyst Greg Cosell joined KNBR on Friday and explained why Bosa was the right choice for the 49ers with the No. 2 overall pick.
"I think they're different players, and what the 49ers were looking for, I think, was a pure defensive end, which Bosa is," Cosell told John Lund. "And I think with Josh Allen, Josh Allen played predominantly in a two-point stance in college at Kentucky, certainly his last year, which is the year I studied hard, and he dropped back a lot into coverage.
"He does have some explosive traits, clearly, with a chance to be a very good pass rusher. But I think the 49ers, as a 4-3 team, were looking for a clear defensive end. That is exactly what Nick Bosa is. Bosa is phenomenal playing off contact."
Veteran tackle Joe Staley has been impressed with the 49ers rookie and has even been seen on the sideline between practice reps engaging with Bosa in an exchange of knowledge. While Bosa is entering his first NFL season, Staley is entering his 13th and has faced many of the league's best pass rushers throughout his career. So it says something that Staley is picking the brain of the rookie.
"He's a lot more polished than a lot of rookies that come in," Staley told The Athletic earlier this month. "He comes from a family that understands football, and he understands D-line play and is a lot further along with his understanding of the game and what it takes."
That "family" Staley referred to would be none other than the Los Angeles Chargers' Pro Bowl defensive end, Joey Bosa, Nick's older brother. The younger Bosa has learned a lot from his older brother over the years, which has kept him a few steps ahead of the competition. The brothers even lived and trained together over part of this offseason.
Interestingly, Staley used the word "polished" to describe Bosa. That's the exact word general manager John Lynch used just days before the veteran tackle's comments.
"He's a really good football player, and he's polished," Lynch said. "A lot of guys, even if you pick them at two, there's a getting-used-to period, but he's such a polished football player. He's giving them fits already. It's fun to see a guy like Joe Staley really take to him, and they've been working together. Joe's learning from him, he's learning from Joe, McGlinchey. It's making everybody better."
Cosell can see why Staley, a savvy veteran, might feel he can learn a thing or two from Bosa.
"It's interesting you mention Staley asking him about pointers," Cosell continued, "because Bosa has such good hand usage, and such good balance and ability to get into an offensive tackle and play off that. So I think Bosa fits better what the Niners were looking for. Obviously, he's got to be on the field.
"I really liked Josh Allen as well, so I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I didn't think he was a really good prospect, but I think they're ultimately different players, and I think Bosa fit what the Niners were looking for more."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Cosell below.