Is Nick Bosa as good of an NFL Draft prospect as Joey Bosa?

It won’t be long before Nick Bosa joins his brother Joey Bosa in the NFL. Are both players comparable as NFL prospects? We take a look…

The Ohio State Buckeyes have enjoyed some excellent defensive line play through the years but fans will likely not soon forget the six years (including the upcoming 2018 season) they’ve been given by Joey Bosa and Nick Bosa.

From 2013-15, Joey Bosa terrorized opposing quarterbacks and wound up becoming the third overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Despite missing a few games to start the season, Bosa won Defensive Rookie of the Year and established himself quickly as one of the best defensive ends in the NFL and one of the best pure pass rushers as well.

In two seasons with Ohio State so far, Nick Bosa has proven himself to be quite the force off the edge, racking up 16 tackles for loss as a sophomore along with 8.5 sacks.

His production as a sophomore is not quite what Joey’s was when he was a sophomore at Ohio State, but expectations are just as high.

How do these two players compare as prospects?

There are some eerie similarities between the two, though that shouldn’t come as a great surprise…

Similarities

Both players are very good at converting speed to power. This is something Joey has carried over to the NFL game that drives offensive coordinators insane.

Nick also does this very well. These guys are both incredibly quick off the snap and that quickness is already a huge advantage over offensive linemen because the Bosas are already one step ahead.

Linemen are already figuring out how they are going to counter the great quickness these guys have off the snap, and when they get in a position of trying to contain the speed around the edge, both players possess an elite inside move.

Keep in mind — we are evaluating these guys as college prospects, not necessarily what Joey is (or, has developed into) currently for the Chargers.

These guys both get great leverage given their length and bulk. Despite the fact that they are 270-pound defensive ends, they play like they are 235 pounds flying off the edge with very natural athleticism, bend, and ability to redirect.

There is no rigidity to their movements.

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Most importantly, both players are finishers. While I feel like Joey was a little better in this regard at Ohio State (Nick still has time to grow in this area), both players understand how to wrap up at or behind the line of scrimmage and especially when it involves taking down the quarterback.

Both players understand hand usage and often win by simply swatting linemen aside. There are a couple of individual plays from each player where a combination of these skills are displayed, as they easily toss aside an offensive lineman with one arm on their way to a sack of the quarterback.

Differences and Final Thoughts

The biggest difference I see on tape between these two guys is that Joey is a bit longer, or at least it appears that way.

He’s able to put the finishing touches on certain plays that most players simply can’t. While Nick is capable of doing almost everything Joey is, Joey has the length advantage and is able to finish on more plays than Nick is as a result.

In regards to the question of whether or not Nick is or even can be better? I would say at this point, there’s no doubt he has just as high of a ceiling. Nick’s ability to convert speed to power, use his hands, and his natural feel for rushing the passer are so similar to his brother’s.

There’s no denying the talent each of these players possesses. In another year, we’ll get to see them both playing on Sundays, terrorizing quarterbacks.

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