SEC analyst: Joey Bosa is 'overrated'
A couple months ago, Joey Bosa appeared to be a consensus top-three pick. Many analysts projected him as the No. 1 overall selection in the 2016 draft.
It’s only February, but there’s been some cooling on Bosa’s draft stock. Mel Kiper Jr. dropped him from No. 1 to No. 6 in his latest mock draft, and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah had the Buckeye junior slotted at No. 5.
SEC Network analyst Anthony “Booger” McFarland doesn’t have a mock draft, but after hearing what he said on ESPN’s “Dari and Mel” podcast, it sounds like he wouldn’t even have Bosa that high.
“I start looking at a guy who’s probably gonna measure 6-3, 6-3 1/2, maybe 6-4 and about 265-270 pounds, I don’t know where you put him at,” McFarland said. “I don’t see the type of production and the type of athleticism that I think is gonna translate to the NFL. I think he’s a bit overrated by this Kiper guy.”
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McFarland actually said that he likes a different former Buckeye defensive end more than Bosa.
Noah Spence, who transferred to Eastern Kentucky after substance abuse suspensions at Ohio State, is McFarland’s top pass-rusher in the 2016 class. He praised his athleticism and went so far as to compare him to Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller.
Spence, McFarland said, has more versatility than Bosa.
“[Bosa] had a lot of production at Ohio State, but when you look at how he’s gonna fit in the NFL, let’s talk about the positions that he can and cannot play,” he said. “Is he a right end and is he a guy that has elite speed that can turn the corner? I don’t think so. Can he play left end? I think left end in a 4-3 is a spot he could play.
“Now you switch over to a 3-4 defense. I don’t know if he’s gonna have the bulk to play a 3-4 defensive end like an Aaron Smith, like a Brett Keisel.”
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It’s a bit atypical to hear one question Bosa’s strength. Considering he dealt with double and even triple teams at times and still managed to earn All-America honors, McFarland is in the minority with that critique.
There was one area McFarland was willing to complement Bosa on.
“The one thing Joey Bosa has is good technique,” McFarland said. “But technique with no athleticism I don’t think translates to the NFL.”
Bosa will have a chance to show McFarland and others his strength and athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine this weekend.