Nick Bosa has commanded the NFL’s attention since the 49ers drafted him No. 2 overall in 2019.
And even though Bosa is already widely regarded as one of the league’s most dominant pass rushers, his teammate George Kittle believes the best is yet to come.
The 49ers tight end joined former San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman for the latest episode of “The Richard Sherman Podcast” and made some bold predictions for his pass-rushing counterpart.
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“He’s just a mass of humanity. His quads are the size of my core,” Kittle told Sherman.
Bosa’s statuesque figure is a frequent point of discussion among his peers, but what it shows most is his dedication to routine, Kittle said.
That routine helped the defensive end erupt last season to finish fourth in the NFL in sacks with 15.5, second in sack yards (122) and tie for the league lead in tackles for loss with Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt after they both collected 21.
Those 2021 numbers are made all the more impressive when considering Bosa’s devastating ACL injury in 2020, which ended his season during Week 2 and forced months of grueling rehabilitation.
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But now that he’s back -- and possibly better than ever -- Kittle has been able to see Bosa’s skill set in person not only through games but during the summer as they practice together.
“I love going against Nick. If you’re not 100 percent on, he wins no matter what,” Kittle said. “There’s not very many people in the league like that … Nick’s the guy that literally could not practice and still show up on Sundays and be one of the best players in the NFL.”
Despite his reputation and statistics in 2021, Bosa didn’t receive a single vote for Comeback Player of the Year and was left out of the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. But this year, Kittle believes Bosa will be at the forefront of not only the DPOY race, but possibly NFL MVP as well.
“I’ll also say this, Sherm: I think Nick Bosa is, I want to say probably going to be Defensive Player of the Year, I think he’s going to have a shot at being an MVP as long as people give him the flowers,” Kittle said. “When he’s out there and he sets a new sack record and stuff, that man -- I know he’s going to get double teams every single play, but he’s so good.”
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Bosa already has the 2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year title to his name. Adding a DPOY honor would be well deserved, and even a single MVP vote would speak volumes of the defensive lineman’s capabilities.
If both of Kittle’s predictions turn out to be true, it should be a very good season for the 49ers’ defense -- and Bosa, of course.