during the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona.

After a dominant college career but a less-than-dominant 40-yard dash, Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa has plenty wondering how to evaluate him. Some, like Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke, have taken detailed looks at Bosa’s potential positional and schematic fits. Others have been more about comparing him to current NFL defensive linemen. Surprisingly, though, the linemen he’s been compared to have very little in common in terms of position or play style. They do have one thing in common, though: like Bosa, they’re white. Here’s NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on a comparison he heard:

So, Bosa’s a pass-rushing specialist who excels as a 4-3 defensive end. Fair enough. The Allen comparison also makes some sense considering that both were considered to be undersized and somewhat slow heading into the NFL, but had remarkable college production. However, Allen was about the same size (265 pounds versus 269 ) but significantly faster in the 40 (4.72 versus 4.86), played at a much smaller school (Idaho State), and was drafted late in the fourth round, primarily as a long snapper. Even with the lacklustre 40, many see the top 10 picks as the furthest Bosa (once considered a lock for first overall) could fall, so the post-college evaluations here are very different. What about other white defensive linemen, though? Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports another scout’s comparison of Bosa to former 49ers defensive tackle Justin Smith, with even a “good motor” thrown in:

“He’s a little better version of Justin Smith when he came out of Missouri (in 2001),” said another scout. “Little better athlete. Strong, tough guy like that. Good motor.”

This comparison seems a little off. First off, Smith was taken fourth overall by the Bengals, and saying Bosa is a “better athlete” seems a bit silly considering that Smith was “one of the fastest down linemen in the college ranks,” was compared to Junior Seau (the  within-a-race only comparisons” rule must not have been in effect back then) and was .22 seconds faster in the 40 (4.64 versus 4.86). Smith’s measurements coming out of college were somewhat similar to Bosa’s (6’4” and 273 pounds versus 6’6” and 269), and his college production was also remarkable, so there’s some logic here, but Smith’s greatest NFL success came at defensive tackle (although he did rotate to end depending on the situation, and made the Pro Bowl at both positions in 2012), which many think Bosa isn’t really suited for. So, how about another white defensive end with similar measurables? Here’s ESPN, on Bosa’s measurables tracking with J.J. Watt’s:

That’s probably a better comparison, especially given the combine similarities, but Watt was way bigger (290 pounds) and many were already projecting him as a 3-4 end. So this one isn’t ideal, either. We’re not out of white pass rushers yet, though! NFL Network broke the streak of white-only comparisons by referencing Seattle’s Michael Bennett (which makes some sense), but also managed to compare Bosa to Redskins’ outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (who he really doesn’t seem to have much in common with, especially as Kerrigan was projected as a strong OLB at the combine, while most think Bosa is better off on the line). Evaluating Bosa in comparison to Kerrigan really feels like a bridge too far, and a comparison that might not have been made without the two both being white.

There are absolutely some elements of Bosa’s game that might overlap with Allen, Smith, Watt, or even Kerrigan, and given that people go with what they know, it’s not shocking to see those comparisons. It’s funny to see those ones pop up so much, though, and comparisons of Bosa to black players such as Bennett or Justin Tuck made much more sporadically. Maybe we should bring back The White Guy Code Word Power Rankings for these various draft evaluations of Bosa…

 

 

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About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.