Twenty-one years ago, Nick Bosa’s uncle Eric Kumerow went 16th overall in the 1988 NFL draft. One year earlier, his father John was also selected 16th overall. Three years ago, his older brother Joey was selected as the third pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Now it is finally Nick’s turn, and he has been planning for this moment, his moment, his whole life.
The idea of being a first-round draft pick was set as the standard in his family. Nick, however, has a chance to become not only a first-round draft pick, but the first overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.
“A dream come true,” Bosa said. “That would mean so much to me, to be thought of as the best player in the draft.”
Although he has been following in his brother Joey’s footsteps his whole life, there’s no competition between the two on who would be the highest draft pick. Instead, this moment is all about Nick.
“He wants what’s best for me. He wants me to go No.1,” Bosa said of his older brother. “It’s just crazy that both of us are in this position so soon after each other.”
Come the 2019 NFL Draft in April, the Arizona Cardinals have the No. 1 overall draft pick. And it just so happens that Bosa had a meeting with the Cardinals the weekend of the NFL Combine.
As far as the talk of the Cardinals selecting Bosa or former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray as the first overall pick, Bosa said passing on him would be a “big mistake.”
Not Lacking Confidence
Nick Bosa has always been confident in what he brings to the table and he isn’t worried about comparing himself to others throughout the NFL Draft process. He is only concerned with making a good case for himself.
“I’m somebody who loves the game more than anybody,” he said. “I’m going to come in and I’m going to work every day, every practice, trying to find new things to better myself. So if you do draft me, you’ll have someone who is going to improve throughout my entire career.”
Especially coming off of the injury that ended his college football career, Bosa is focused on proving himself as a player and showing that he is healthy and good to go.
“I just want to do everything that I can here to let all of the coaches know, let every team know that I’m ready to go and I will be a good NFL player,” he said at last week’s Combine.
When it comes to film, arguably the most important and critical factor that goes into drafting a player, Bosa could face some challenges. His time as a Buckeye was cut short and his playing time wasn’t consistent his first two years on the field as he split reps as a freshman and sophomore.
Despite not having as much film as he wanted or expected, he is confident in what he put on tape throughout his time as a Buckeye.
“I’m definitely very proud of my tape,” he said. “I was able to put on the most consistent, the most diverse ways to win to beat offensive linemen and to finish. I don’t have as much tape as some people, but clearly my tape was enough to get me this far.”
Bosa also feels that he has more to show for himself as a player. So while he hates to think about what he left behind, he is excited about what lies ahead for him in the future.
“I’m going to show it this year as a rookie,” Bosa said. “I didn’t get to show as much as I wanted at Ohio State, it was very short, but I’ve got a lot of football to play in my career.”
