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Comparing Ohio State's Chase Young to Joey, Nick Bosa

Fox NFL analyst Chris Spielman sees Young as 'safest pick in this draft'

Bruce Hooley

Comparing Ohio State's Chase Young to Joey, Nick Bosa
Comparing Ohio State's Chase Young to Joey, Nick Bosa /

Two-time Ohio State All-American and College Football Hall of Famer Chris Spielman heard the same question over and over this past fall while analyzing NFL games on Fox.

"Which Bosa brother do you like best?" people would ask.

"That's easy," Spielman would say. "Which ever one I saw last."

Having watched Joey, a fourth-year defensive end with the Los Angeles Chargers, dominate the Chicago Bears and having twice gotten a look at Nick, the defensive rookie-of-the-year with the San Francisco 49ers, Spielman agreed to assess the former Top 5 picks compared to this year's dominant OSU pass-rusher in the NFL Draft, Chase Young.

San Diego chose Joey No. 3 overall in 2016 and Nick went second overall last year to the 49ers.

That's where Young is likely to go Thursday, with Washington holding that selection, after former Buckeye and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow goes No. 1 overall to Cincinnati.

It would not be a surprise if Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah goes third to Detroit.

Question: Who's the safest pick of the three...Burrow, Young or Okudah?

Spielman: "Chase Young is probably the safest pick in the draft, just by nature of the position....Even though Joe is the safest quarterback, by nature of the position, that's not the safest pick to make."

Question: How much of an impact do you see Young making in Year One?

Spielman: "It's going to be interesting because of Chase's off-the-chart athletic ability. One thing linemen fear more than anything else is speed, because -- I'm not exaggerating -- (linemen are) 330-350 pounds playing offensive tackle. So they can handle power. The biggest issue that they have is speed.

"Now, when you have speed and you can convert that to power in the middle of a pass rush, that's the ultimate combination. Then you add speed that can convert to power, plus great hand usage from a pass-rusher -- meaning pass-rush technique with your hands, getting that outside hand off of you, keeping that outside arm of the the offensive tackle down, so you shorten the corner -- I think the Bosa boys are the best in the league at doing that.

Question: Are there any pass-rushers in the NFL whose ability impresses you more than Joey or Nick Bosa?

Spielman: "People will think I'm insane, but I have to take the Bosas as far as pass-rushers, over Kahlil Mack. (That's) because both of them are just a dominant force out there. The biggest thing they have, they have all three. They do have speed. They do have power. But the biggest thing that sets them apart is their technique. Their hands are just phenomenal.

"They're like karate men with their hands inside, with what they're able to do. With Chase, can he develop that moving forward? That's the biggest question on Chase."

Question: What do you see that Chase Young might need to add to his arsenal?

Spielman: "Chase is a dream for a defensive line coach. You have this raw talent -- rare talent, because of size and speed -- and he's a great kid with a great work ethic. Right? He has everything you need.

"I think when you see that, (a coach will say), 'I can help this kid get even better.' I think he has a great chance to have a great career. I hope he does."

Question: Is there anything you see the Bosas do that Chase Young needs to learn how to do?

Spielman: "I talked to (OSU defensive line coach) Larry Johnson...when I was doing an Ohio State-Illinois game. I ran into him in the hotel.   I said, 'Coach, (tell me) one or two things about Joey.' This was about Joey at the time, but you can say the same thing about Nick, because they're the same player.

"What sets him apart from everybody else? There's something that I see that I have not seen anything like this...they play with flat backs. What I mean by that is, stand up where you are, put your chest toward the floor, lean forward and run as fast as you can. Does that make sense?

"So you're diminishing the target of the offensive lineman. That offensive lineman wants to get his hands on your chest. Well, your chest is pointed toward the ground. So how's he going to get his hands on your chest?

"And their heads are up (while they're doing that). They are rubbermen. They are like Elasto-Man, or the Stretch Armstrong Super Hero character, like when we were kids.

"The fact they play with such flat backs sets them apart from any other player that I've seen. That doesn't diminish the greatness of Khalil Mack. But that's such a unique quality that those guys have that causes offensive tackles those types of problems."

Question: Where does Vonn Miller fit into that comparison with Nick and Joey Bosa?

Spielman: "Vonn is a great, great player with tremendous speed. Vonn is smart and plays the run. I'm just telling you the uniqueness of the Bosas and what they bring.

"But of all the draft picks, as far as the safest, by the measurables, the attitude and the nature of the position, Chase Young is probably the safeest pick. That's a compliment."

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Bruce Hooley
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