Three NFL executives have reportedly compared Ohio State defensive lineman Joey Bosa with Carolina Panthers defensive end Jared Allen, according to Daniel Jeremiah of College Football 24/7.
Allen is one of the greatest defensive ends the NFL has seen, and his numbers clearly make him a future Hall of Fame candidate. For Bosa to draw comparisons with Allen is a huge statement, but this is nothing new for the Buckeyes star defensive lineman, as he was compared with Houston Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt last year.
The junior defensive lineman has yet to declare for the draft, but ESPN's Mel Kiper has placed the Buckeye back at the top of his draft board. Bosa hasn't been as productive this season as he was in his sophomore year, but that is likely because teams are game planning around him. The Buckeyes star defensive lineman has four sacks and 15 tackles for a loss. Bosa had 13.5 sacks last season and will create havoc for opposing quarterbacks in the NFL.
Ohio State's talented defensive lineman is listed at 6-foot-6, 275 pounds, but he is quick off the ball and continually gets to quarterbacks. One NFL executive thinks that Bosa is a better run defender than Allen but won't be as great a pass rusher as him, according to Jeremiah. Allen is one of the best at getting to quarterbacks and has 136 career sacks in 12 seasons. While Bosa may not be as dominating of a pass rusher as Allen, the comparison in itself is a huge compliment.
Allen wasn't the only big name Bosa was compared with, as one NFL executive compared him to former New York Giant Michael Strahan. "This might sound like it's out of left field but that's who I see," said an NFL executive, via NFL. "I think Bosa will be a 4-3 left defensive end with power pass-rush ability."
No matter who Bosa is compared with he is expected to be a top-talent at the next level. It's unclear if Bosa will declare for the draft, but NFL scouts will be watching him heavily this weekend, as they will want to see how he performs against a tough Michigan State Spartans team.
