Born October 23, 1997, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nicholas John Bosa comes from one of the most distinguished football families in NFL history. His father, John, was a first-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in 1987, and his older brother Joey was selected third overall by the San Diego Chargers in 2016. Nick attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, where he was a four-year starter, a multi-year first-team all-state selection, and a five-star recruit. He committed to Ohio State, where as a sophomore he was named unanimous first-team All-Big Ten and Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, recording thirty-two tackles and seven sacks. He left school early after a core muscle surgery in 2018 to enter the 2019 NFL Draft. The San Francisco 49ers selected the 6-foot-4, 266-pound Bosa second overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year, $33.5 million rookie deal and immediately established himself as one of the most dominant pass rushers in the league. Strengths include elite first-step quickness, an exceptional arsenal of pass-rush moves, tremendous hand technique, and the relentless motor and football intelligence to diagnose blocking schemes instantly. During his record-breaking 2022 season, Bosa led the NFL with 18.5 sacks, earning first-team All-Pro honors and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, the most prestigious individual honor in his position. In the 2023 NFC Championship Game comeback victory over the Detroit Lions, Bosa delivered two crucial sacks of Jared Goff that helped fuel San Francisco's historic seventeen-point second-half rally. During his standout 2019 rookie campaign against the Carolina Panthers, he recorded three sacks, his first career interception, and four tackles in a 51-13 victory, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors alongside his brother Joey, who won the AFC honor the same week — an unprecedented sibling achievement. On September 6, 2023, Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million extension with $122.5 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time. His career totals of 64.5 sacks in eighty-five regular-season games rank among the fastest accumulations of sacks in NFL history for a player at his age. Despite two ACL tears ending his 2020 and 2025 seasons prematurely, Bosa has earned five Pro Bowl selections and remains the cornerstone of the 49ers' defense. In July 2025, he joined President Trump's re-established Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
