Where 49ers DE Nick Bosa Ranks Among PFF's Top 15 NFL Players

A year ago, Pro Football Focus considered Nick Bosa one of the top four defensive players in the NFL.

Only Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons and Chris Jones ranked ahead of him, and not by much.

"Bosa was a dominant force all season long and racked up an absurd 27 total pressures in three playoff games, including 12 in a Super Bowl loss to Kansas City," wrote PFF a year ago. "He is one of the best all-around players in the game — at any position."

Bosa's performance in the playoffs and the Super Bowl clearly boosted his final ranking. Now, he's coming off a season in which the 49ers missed the playoffs and he recorded just 9 sacks -- his lowest total since his rookie season (not counting his second season during which he tore his ACL and played in just two games).

In addition, Bosa injured both of his obliques last season, played through those injuries for months, and ultimately missed three games. In October, he'll turn 28, which means he's not exactly young anymore.

That's why Bosa has slipped to 12th in Pro Football Focus' top 50 players heading into the 2025 season.

"Bosa set a PFF rookie record with 102 pressures in 2019 and hasn’t slowed down since," writes PFF. "He’s posted a PFF grade of 89.4 or higher in each of the past four seasons while leading all edge defenders in total pressures over that span. In 2024, his 91.0 grade ranked third among edge defenders with 300 or more snaps. As the 49ers develop young talent around him, Bosa remains the cornerstone of their defensive front."

Bosa is a dominant pass rusher when it comes to racking up pressures on the quarterback, but he's not the best when it comes to finishing plays. No premier pass rusher spends more time on the ground than Bosa. He tends to slip and fall during the moment of truth more than any other perennial Pro Bowl player, which is a big reason he struggles to contain mobile quarterbacks. That's a big reason the 49ers drafted Mykel Williams -- he's a much more controlled pass rusher than Bosa.

It will be interesting to see if Bosa ages more gracefully than his older brother Joey has.