San Francisco 49ers first-round pick Nick Bosa suffered a hamstring injury in his first OTA, forcing him to leave practice early.
The San Francisco 49ers were one of the NFL’s worst teams by record in 2018, and most of that misfortune was the result of injuries. Franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was the biggest loss of the bunch, but with a healthy Garoppolo, a number of aggressive free-agent moves, and No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa, the 49ers could be 2019’s sleeper team.
Bosa was one of college football’s most productive pass rushers at Ohio State, and he has the athletic tools to become one of the NFL’s most disruptive players. Expectations are high for Bosa in his rookie season, which is why 49ers will be monitoring his hamstring injury at OTAs closely.
According to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, Bosa was spotted grabbing his right hamstring after a pass rushing drill, which spelled the end of his practice session as his first OTA in the NFL.
Barrows and other Niners beat reporters will have further updates on Bosa’s status, and hopefully this isn’t a significant injury to the top-five pick. Any injury is unfortunate, but especially one to a young player in their first organized team activity.
In Dee Ford, Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, Sheldon Day, and Bosa, the 49ers have one of the most impressive front fours in the NFL. Bosa and Ford will be the catalysts off the edge, and if Bosa is as good as advertised, the 49ers defense could be in business after struggling last year. They do, after all, return one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks in Richard Sherman, who gives the 49ers immense star power in the secondary.
The 49ers have their work cut out for them in a division that includes the defending NFC Champion, the Russell Wilson-led Seattle Seahawks, and an Arizona Cardinals team that suddenly has hope with Kyler Murray at the helm. But all of those offenses will have to be wary of the 49ers pass rush.