The San Diego Chargers drafted Joey Bosa because he is physically gifted and tough. The Chargers also drafted him because he has experience playing multiple positions.
The San Diego Chargers surprised the football world in round one of the NFL Draft when they took Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa with the third overall pick. Many pundits had the Chargers going offensive tackle but the Bolts opted to go defense and draft the physically gifted and versatile Bosa.
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Bosa has been a model of versatility throughout his time in Columbus. He has played defensive end, defensive tackle and even some outside linebacker. The Chargers are going to expect him to play all three positions in defensive coordinator John Pagano’s defense.
On paper, the Chargers are a 3-4 defense but in today’s NFL, no team ever really lines up in their base defense anymore. Sub packages are more like your base packages nowadays. That’s why players like Bosa are so valuable to NFL teams today.
Bosa can be a three down impact player at three different positions for the Chargers. Here is where you can expect to see Bosa line up this fall.
5 Technique Defensive End
As I mentioned earlier, the Chargers are base 3-4 defense so Bosa will learn to play the five technique defensive end. The five technique lines up outside shade of the defensive tackle. The five technique defensive end is a run stopper first. His job is to get his hands on the outside half of the tackle, extend, anchor down and C-gap against the run.
If it’s a pass, he reads the tackle’s initial movement. If the tackle sits up and sets, the five technique gets into his pass rush lane. Because it is a shade technique, the pass rusher can be aggressive and use a speed rush. Bosa is a bit undersized for a five technique end in the 3-4 but he is strong against the run.
9 Technique Defensive End
If it’s third and long and the Chargers are in the sub 40 front in nickel and dime personnel, Bosa will put his hand in the dirt and play a wide nine technique defensive end to the tight end side. In this instance, Bosa is a pure pass rusher. He’ll pin his ears back and rush the passer on the snap. Here he is in an 8 technique head up on the tight end. From this alignment, he can slant inside on the snap.
3 Technique Defensive Tackle
Ohio State kicked Bosa inside a lot and it wasn’t just on passing downs. Bosa also played defensive tackle in short yardage situations. Bosa’s explosiveness makes him an asset inside because he can beat a guard or even the center off the snap. I don’t see the Chargers moving him inside unless it is a passing situation but if its second and long and third and long, don’t be surprised to see Bosa line up as a three technique defensive tackle.
Weakside Outside Linebacker
Bosa has played out of a two point stance at times in his career but he does not extensive experience playing outside linebacker. The Chargers would ideally like to play him at outside linebacker but it will take time for Bosa to learns the nuances of the position. He will need to figure out the formation adjustments and when to rush or drop. He will also need to get comfortable dropping into coverage. He can do it physically but he lacks the experience.
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Pagano will do a lot of different things with Bosa within his scheme but he has to remember one thing. Bosa is a rookie. It will take him time to learn the Chargers defense. When he does, Bosa’s versatility will be a real asset to the Chargers.