Nick Bosa’s final season at Ohio State came to an early end when he suffered a core muscle injury in the Buckeyes’ third game of the year against TCU, forcing him to undergo surgery and ultimately leading to his early departure from the team.
Yet even though that injury stopped Bosa from playing another game in scarlet and gray, he says it won’t stop him from putting his best foot forward at the NFL Scouting Combine in March, where he plans to participate in a full workout even though he is already projected to be one of the first overall players selected in the 2019 NFL draft.
“I’m doing everything,” Bosa said Saturday at the Midwest Sports Spectacular. “I don’t want to leave any doubt. I want them to see me at my best, and I think I’m going to be at my best, and I’m working toward that right now.”
As he works toward getting himself into the best shape possible for his pre-draft workouts, Bosa says he has now recovered to the point that he is able to train at full capacity.
“I get sore every once in a while, it’s just part of it,” Bosa said. “But training-wise, I’m full-speed right now.”
Many mock drafts project that the Arizona Cardinals will select Bosa with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find any mock draft that doesn’t have him in the top three. He’s looking to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, fellow former Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, who was the No. 3 overall pick and the first non-quarterback selected in the 2016 NFL draft and now plays for the Los Angeles Chargers.
“It’s definitely a little competitive,” Bosa said. “I’ve always wanted to be the top in my class, and it would be cool to be No. 1.”
Bosa, who signed more than 300 autographs during Saturday’s event at the Ohio Expo Center, said it was difficult to be away from his former teammates and watch the Buckeyes play from more than 2,000 miles away after he made the decision to leave Ohio State in October to focus fully on his rehabilitation and begin preparing for the NFL. But he still has fond memories when he thinks back on his two-plus years as a Buckeye.
“I kind of dealt with that back in October and November when it happened,” Bosa said. “It’s tough to think about sometimes, but I had a great career and had a great time here at Ohio State, so it’s all good.”
He had the chance to experience one more moment as a Buckeye earlier this month, when both Bosa brothers made the short drive from Joey’s home – where Nick has been living – to Pasadena, California, to watch Ohio State play Washington in the Rose Bowl.
“Just being in the locker room again and just that whole atmosphere of a game and especially at the Rose Bowl, it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” Bosa said. “It was definitely good to see my team one last time, and especially the last time that those seniors got to play. And it was just good to be with my boys.”
