Once the 2017 Cotton Bowl against USC comes to a close, a handful of Ohio State defensive linemen will begin to prepare themselves for the 2018 NFL Draft.
Nick Bosa is not one of those players.
If he was eligible, Bosa would likely be a top-10 selection in the upcoming draft. He still has one more year to go before he can declare early, but if he was eligible, Bosa said he believes he would be ready to compete in the NFL in 2018.
“I think I would, but an extra year of development is really important. I think I’ll be a lot more ready next year," Bosa said Friday.
The Buckeyes are set to lose Tyquan Lewis and Jalyn Holmes to graduation, with Sam Hubbard also a likely candidate to enter the draft. That would leave Bosa as the only defensive end from the main starting rotation this season still on the roster next season.
With that being the case, Bosa said he is preparing himself for a bigger role in 2018 on the Ohio State defensive line.
“We don’t know who’s coming in yet. We still need to finish up recruiting, and walk-ons and whatever," Bosa said. "So we just have our three ends right now, so it will all shake out. We’ll see, but obviously I’ll get rest when I need it, but I’m definitely going to play a lot more.
“I want to play every meaningful play in the game, and I’ve always wanted to do that."
After a season in which he was named an All-American and Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, Bosa isn't going to fly under the radar when teams prepare for him in 2018. While he could likely be a first-round draft pick as a college sophomore, Bosa said he is looking forward to another year of development because of the leap he saw his brother Joey make from 2014 to 2015 at Ohio State.
"I watched his freshman, sophomore, junior film and the biggest jump he made was the year from sophomore to junior year," Bosa said. "His stats weren’t the same, obviously, because he was getting triple-teamed and everybody knew who he was, but the jump he made as a player is why he’s doing what he’s doing right now.”
With the defensive linemen leaving for the upcoming NFL draft, it would be easy to assume that the younger Bosa could face the similar challenge of facing double- or even triple-teams next season. However, Bosa said he believes the talent surrounding him next year will be good enough where teams won't be able to afford to double- or triple-team him.
“I’m sure they’ll be there, but with (Jonathon) Cooper and Chase (Young) on the other side, and Dre’Mont hopefully coming back, and BB (Robert Landers) inside, it will be tough to double-team anyone," Bosa said.
Before the Buckeyes can worry about their 2018 defensive line, however, Ohio State must prepare for a USC offense that features quarterback Sam Darnold, a likely top-five pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
Bosa acknowledged that while he is coming back for one more year of school, Darnold is surely going to be playing in the NFL next season, which is one of many reasons why Ohio State won't take USC lightly come Dec. 29.
“We’re going to have to help our DBs and our linebackers because they have a really good running back, definitely one of the best we’ve played, right up there with (Penn State running back) Saquon (Barkley)," Bosa said. "We’re not taking any of them lightly, obviously, the quarterback is going to be a top pick, so we just have to help those guys out because their skill positions are really good. It will be some of the best we’ve seen.”
