Chargers’ Bosa is top-ranked rookie on PFF’s Top 50 players list
By Matt Pagels
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa’s incredible rookie season has Pro Football Focus in love.
Joey Bosa had one heck of a rookie season. After dealing with a lengthy holdout and missing the first four games of the season due to injury, Bosa, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft, went on to finish with a team-leading 10.5 sacks. Not only that, but the former Ohio State Buckeye won the 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Going into the 2017 season, Pro Football Focus is really high on Bosa. Bosa ranks No. 13 overall on PFF’s Top 50 players for 2017. That ranking is the highest among all rookies, as Bosa and Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott (No. 45 overall) were the only two players from last year’s draft class to make the list. Bosa was the only Charger to make the cut as well.
Most accurate list of NFL's top talent. Nice job by peeps at @PFF. pic.twitter.com/fdS0Ul6Zu0
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) June 10, 2017
Here’s PFF’s reasoning for putting Bosa on the list.
“No player has amassed more total pressures than the 59 Bosa collected over his first 12 games in the league since PFF has been tracking it (2006 onwards). Bosa played both defensive end and outside linebacker for the Chargers, on both the left and right side of the defense, and was a one-man wrecking machine, notching a grade of 89.7 despite missing the first four games of the season. Bosa is already one of the league’s most dominant defenders.”
Bosa only has one season under his belt, but he proved to be an absolute game-wrecker in said season. His energy and relentlessness helped turn the Chargers’ defense around, as he made his teammates around him better.
A switch to new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s 4-3 defense could make Bosa even more dangerous. I predict a Defensive Player of the Year award for him in the near future.