2016 NFL Scouting Combine: Joey Bosa

Joey Bosa was the talk of the edge group at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, but how did his testing numbers match-up to previous prospects?

It was a pretty solid day for Ohio State’s Joey Bosa who hit pretty much every mark you’d want from a starting NFL defensive end. However, there will be some scouts that will get reports from their data analysts saying Bosa may not be worth a Top 10 selection based on his Combine performance.

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And I’m going to show you why as we take a long look at his testing numbers against historical precedents. The first place to start with Bosa where he wins the most from the testing is physical measures.

Physical Metrics

Bosa according to data from Mike Loyko’s Combine spreadsheet came into the combine at 6-5, 269 pounds with 33 3/8 inch arm length and 10 1/4 inch hand size. All marks are above average at the defensive end position with the exception of arm length, but he still passes the 32 inch or higher threshold for multiple All-Pro to Pro Bowl edge rushers since 1996.

And his bench at 24 reps puts him well above the 20 bench rep threshold for high quality edge rushers as well. The issues for Bosa mainly center around his athletic testing where it was frankly a mixed bag.

Athletic Metrics

The three main metrics I use in evaluating athletic performance are the explosive lower body strength score, speed score and dynamic speed score. The explosive lower body strength strength score uses a prospect’s vertical and broad jump measured against mass density to give me a single number telling me how explosive a player is for their size.

The speed score is the forty yard dash measured against mass density to determine how fast they are for their size. And the dynamic speed score is the same as the speed score except with the addition of the SS and 3-Cone to tell me how dynamic or flexible that speed is.

I repeated this process across hundred of previous prospects all the way to the 1996 draft class and here is Bosa’s results.

Bosa put up an odd athletic profile. He above average explosive for his size, and lacks long speed, which is the primary aspect that hurts him.

But his shuttle and 3-Cone make him one of the most dynamic edge rushers since the 1996 NFL draft class. The closet athletic comparison is defensive end Kony Ealy of Carolina Panthers, who had a breakout game in Super Bowl 50.

And compared to previous elite prospects it doesn’t hold much water. Nor does the awful J.J. Watt comp that a few analysts have thrown out there despite a lack of an attention to detail.

But this is not the end of the road for Bosa. He still has time to put up a better forty at his Pro Day. In which case he would be in much better company with Jared Allen for example.

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I still believe Joey Bosa is the best edge rusher from this draft class. But the testing above shows that this isn’t the year to give up future value for a player who doesn’t have elite upside in the NFL.

How did Joey Bosa’s combine performance look in your eyes? And is he still a top 10 pick despite a less than elite performance? This inquiring mind wants to know.