49ers’ Chase Young Still Enjoys ‘Surreal’ Nick Bosa Meeting – NBC Sports Bay Area and California

SANTA CLARA — Ohio State teammates Nick Bosa and Chase Young were consecutive No. 2 overall picks in the NFL draft.

It seemed unlikely that they would wear the same uniform and take the field together again once they entered the professional ranks.

But what happened was improbable three weeks ago when 49ers general manager John Lynch blocked a trade to acquire Young from the Washington Commanders.

And it didn’t take long for Bosa and Young to show what they could do once they were reunited.

Early in the second quarter of a Week 10 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Young beat his man and reached Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. A split second later, Bosa arrived to strip Lawrence and recover his fumble.

“Sometimes it seems surreal,” Young said on 49ers Talk. “Even when we made that play, it was like: ‘We just made that play, right?’ When you’re in that moment, it’s weird to be the first person in that moment to really take it in and understand that it’s crazy that we’re on the same team playing again.

Even with all the chaos going on around him, Young said, he knew it was his former and current teammate who finished the play to make the takeaway.

“Like I said, there was going to be a race for quarterback, and I knew if I was there, he wouldn’t be too far behind,” Young said of Bosa.

Bosa and Young have established a bond dating back to Young’s first year of college in 2017. Bosa arrived on campus a year ago as a top recruit out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Young signed with the Buckeyes out of DeMatha Catholic High in Hyattsville, Maryland.

They hit it off right away.

“He’s been a calm, laid-back guy from the first time I met him,” Young said. “It’s like me. Nick sticks to his script, and that’s what sets him apart.

Young said he believed Bosa recognized his enormous potential and decided he would help him make the most of their time together.

“When I got to O-State, Nick kind of took care of me,” Young said. “I think he knew how talented I was when I came in there, how I could move and catch things as quickly as he did. I felt like he grabbed me and said, ‘Come here, I’ll teach you how to be a great player.’

Bosa and Young were poised to have a huge year together in 2018. But early in the season, Bosa was injured and underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn bicep. Core muscles.

Meanwhile, the 49ers were stumbling to a 4-12 record and were taken second overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

In the usual pre-draft chatter, there have been questions — based solely on a few social media posts — about Bosa’s character and how he might fit into an NFL locker room.

“All of this is definitely not true,” Young said. “Great dude. Always there for you. Definitely a great teammate, someone who is always looking to help others.”

Lynch noticed when Bosa showed up at Ohio State’s practice before the Rose Bowl game and saw the enthusiastic reaction of his teammates when they greeted Bosa.

It even carried over into the game, when Young sacked Washington quarterback Jake Browning in the Buckeyes’ 28-23 win.

“I remember getting a sack and pointing at him,” Young said. “I had to have one while he was there. He was a big brother to me when I came to Ohio State.”

In just two games with the 49ers, Young and Bosa combined for four sacks. Bosa was named NFC Defensive Player of the Year for his performance against Jacksonville. Cameras captured the moment Bosa and Young shared the team’s bench.

“It’s good to have you,” Bossa told Young before they nudged each other as they sat side by side.

“I feel like we’ve always loved each other. We love watching each other play. I don’t know. There’s something about it. Even at Ohio State, we’ve always stood out, maybe differently than everyone else,” Young said.

“We always kept in touch. When he got drafted. When I got drafted. Yeah, man, we definitely have a real good relationship.”

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast