Baltimore Ravens: Joey Bosa a Great Fit?
By John Laird
The 2016 NFL Scouting Combine has come to an end. This is the time of the year where most of the talk around the league comes about whose stock has risen and fallen the most since the workouts. One polarizing name in this conversation is Joey Bosa, the pass rusher out of Ohio State. Could he fit the Baltimore Ravens?
For the most part, over the last few weeks you’ve seen Joey Bosa and Laremy Tunsil interchange for the number one spot in all of the expert mock drafts. After the combine concluded, it seems as if Tunsil cemented himself as an elite prospect while Bosa has only brought up more questions. Running a forty in the 4.8 range isn’t necessarily sexy when it comes to edge rushers.
Although, my personal belief is the 40-yard dash is overrrated, Bosa will more likely than not drop a few spots come April – falling right onto the lap of Ravens’ general manager Ozzie Newsome.
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I know what you’re thinking, a true 4-3 defensive end going to a 3-4 defense isn’t the greatest match up, but Baltimore could be a dream come true for the former Buckeye. You first have to look at the obvious, playing next to Brandon Williams, argurably the best nose tackle in football. That will only free up Bosa more for one on one match ups.
Playing next to either Terrell Suggs or Elvis Dumervil can only help his cause more. Baltimore defensive coordinator Dean Pees can draw up some great schemes to get Bosa in a position where he is most likely to succeed, just look at Elvis Dumervil and how Pees was able to get him to the Pro Bowl, even at these stages of Dumervil’s career.
Now you go to Baltimore’s side of things. They win with defense. Period. That’s how John Harbaugh does it. They have a premier game manager in Joe Flacco, and rely on the run game to get the offense moving.
Adding Bosa only follows Baltimore’s defensive philosophy and puts them in the best position to get back to their winning ways sooner. There’s been rumors circulating that this could be T-Sizzle’s final ride. Baltimore is in desperate need of some young pass rushers. If the Ravens elect to wait on adding some youth to their pass rushing core, it could prove deadly if Dumervil and Suggs call it quits at the same time.
Hear me out before you jump to a conclusion here, but J.J. Watt and Joey Bosa posted extremely similar combine numbers. Watt posted a 4.84 forty while Bosa put up a 4.86.
Their 3-cone drill results were also distinctly similar with Watt running a 6.88 and Bosa with a 6.89. Both were considered to be ideal fits for 4-3 defenses rather than the 3-4. If you’re a Ravens fan reading this and Baltimore ends up with Bosa, you have to be salivating over the three cone drill results.
On any given play, an NFL defensive lineman plays within a range of about 7-8 yards on both sides of the line of scrimmage, making the forty yard dash a hard sample to use for a defensive lineman’s game relevant athletic ability.
That’s where the 3-cone drill comes in. Defensive lineman play within close quarters all game. The quicker you are in short areas, the better chance you have of creating some serious penetration. Bosa’s 3-cone drill result was among the top three for all defensive lineman at the combine. Bosa is no Watt, but don’t count out the pass rusher.
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Being a talented football is being a talented football player. There’s no way to measure that except by game tape. Bosa shows the explosion and the motor you want from a premier pass rusher. No matter where he lands, he will be a great football player.