Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa has long been on the radar of NFL scouts and continues to impress me in his junior season. As an underclassman, he'll have a decision to make on whether to apply for draft entry after the season or return to Ohio State for his senior year, and he provided a peek into his thinking on that subject earlier this week.
About a year ago, Bosa was drawing comparisons to Houston Texans star J.J. Watt. With another year of tape available to evaluate, I reached out to five personnel executives and asked them to make a Bosa comp. Here are their answers.
Executive 1: Michael Strahan
"This might sound like it's out of left field but that's who I see. I think Bosa will be a 4-3 left defensive end with power pass-rush ability."
Executive 2:Jared Allen
"He's not J.J. Watt. He reminds me a little of Jared Allen. Bosa will be a better run defender than Allen but probably won't be quite the pass rusher he was in his prime. One other name that comes to mind is Trace Armstrong. You're probably too young to remember him." (Come on, I'm not that young!!)
Executive 3:Jared Allen
"I think they are similar in size. Both natural pass rushers and incredibly disruptive in the run game. Bosa's sack numbers are misleading. He's hitting the quarterback over and over again. He has been harassing opponents' run and pass games consistently."
Executive 4:Chris Long
"He's a more disruptive version of Chris Long. Both guys play hard."
Executive 5:Jared Allen
"The first name that comes to mind is Jared Allen. Similar body type and skill set."
Verdict: That's three for votes for Jared Allen and one apiece for Michael Strahan and Chris Long.
Conclusion: This was one of the more intriguing comparison questions that we've asked this fall. I was glad to see J.J. Watt wasn't mentioned because I think they are different guys. Watt is more explosive and had a much thicker build coming out of Wisconsin. I love the Strahan comparison and I agree that Bosa best fits as a left defensive end in a 4-3 system. I'm really looking forward to watching how he plays against a rock-solid Michigan State squad on Saturday.
Follow Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter at @MoveTheSticks.