SANTA CLARA – Nick Bosa’s introductory press conference with the 49ers was more confessional than celebratory Friday, the result of his social-media history that included scrubbing controversial tweets such as one calling former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick “a clown.” Bosa, a defensive end drafted No. 2 overall out of Ohio State, apologized for that tweet about Kaepernick as well as other insensitive posts with racist and homophobic connotations. Will Bosa’s political views become an issue in Bay Area? “I was real proud of him. I thought he handled it very well,” general manager John Lynch said. “He faced what we knew would be a tough room, and I thought he was very genuine, honest, took accountability for some things he maybe wasn’t the most proud of, and he did so by being himself.” And Bosa did it by himself. His question-and-answer session took place once Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan left to tend to Friday’s draft selections of wide receivers Deebo Samuel (second round) and Jalen Hurd (third round). As great of a defensive end as Bosa may become, he came with controversy regarding social media. His “Kaepernick is a clown” tweet came on the morning of Aug. 31, 2016, just as Kaepernick’s protest during the national anthem was becoming public and a day before the 49ers exhibition finale at San Diego when he began kneeling alongside teammate Eric Reid. Bosa invoked youthful ignorance when it came to his criticism of Kaepernick, insisting he didn’t lash out at the since-outcast quarterback for speaking up on behalf of minorities. “It’s not like I’m saying his stance and what he was doing, that’s not what I was talking about at all,” Bosa said. “It was a specific thing that happened, and me as a young kid, a thought popping into my head, and boom, I decided to tweet it out. Bad decision. “I mean, I respect what he’s done. If it empowers anybody, then he’s doing a good things. So, yeah, I apologize for that.” Bosa acknowledged it was “kind of ironic” he got drafted to the 49ers. In a pre-draft interview with ESPN, he noted that as a precursor to landing in the liberal Bay Area, his social-media account got scrubbed of controversial tweets, and he revealed Thursday his agent is the one who did it. “I didn’t think people would take that as me trying to hide things,” Bosa said. Among those attending Friday’s press conference were Bosa’s parents — who were with him at Thursday’s draft festivities in Nashville — as well as 49ers CEO Jed York and new defensive line coach Kris Koceruk. Shanahan said Thursday he wasn’t compelled to ask Bosa about his social-media takes prior to the draft, that “I felt very good about the person.” Bosa said he will “think a lot more” before he posts on social media, and that he does not think he’ll need to explain his past travails to his new teammates. “Once they get in and I meet the guys and they learn who I am, I don’t think there’s going to need any explaining,” Bosa said. “They’re going to see who I am as a person and that’s going to be enough.” Friday’s explanation to the media began with him apologizing for his “insensitive decisions” and that he was excited to get a “clean slate” with the 49ers. “I’m sorry if I hurt anybody. I definitely didn’t intend for that to be the case. “I think me being here is even better for me as a person. I don’t think there’s any city that you could be in that would help you grow as much as this one will. “I’m going to be surrounded by people of all different kinds. I’m going to be on my own. In college, you still have that support system around you. Now I’m here. I’m going to be on my own. I’m going to grow up and learn a lot of new things. I’m excited.” Related Articles Have 49ers been priced out of a possible Julio Jones trade? ESPN report suggests steep cost Inside the 49ers: Kittle’s comeback, Shanahan’s doodling, Warner’s extension, Garoppolo’s radio wars Pioneering coach Katie Sowers finds new spot in NFL after leaving 49ers’ staff Fred Warner ‘obviously wants to be a Niner for life’ as contract talks loom How 49ers’ running back stable is impacted by Jeff Wilson’s knee surgery Bosa has eyed the 49ers as a perfect fit to start his career in terms of the roster, defensive scheme and potential, despite a 24-season drought without a Lombardi Trophy. Bosa isn’t wrong in claiming the 49ers have the best roster of any team that drafted in a high spot Thursday, and he is correct in noting how quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s Week 3 knee injury set the stage for a 4-12 season. “It’s pretty awesome I’m joining a team that’s already assembled a pretty darn good squad,” Bosa said. “Just being here and seeing Super Bowl trophies around, it’s definitely pretty cool.” The 49ers selected Bosa to complete fill a void on one side of the defensive line after taking care of the other side by last month’s trade for pass rusher Dee Ford, who Bosa studied a lot the past year because Ford’s Kansas City Chiefs twice played Bosa’s brother,Joey, on the Los Angeles Chargers. “He’s a really, really great speed rusher,” Bosa said of Ford. “He switches it to power and he’ll knock you on your butt.” Bosa, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., vowed to do the same — on the field rather than on social media. “My emotions kind of are deceiving sometimes, or how I act,” Bosa added. “I’m definitely kind of monotone and quiet. But, when I get out on the field, I take some of that aggression out.” — Shanahan called Samuel and Hurd the draft’s most physical wide receivers and Lynch noted they were the two players ideally targeted going into Saturday’s rounds. Samuel (6-foot, 210 pounds) comes with a physical style and yards-after-the-catch flair that could make him a favorite for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, possibly as a replacement to Pierre Garçon at flanker.<doc-sep>An emotional Nick Bosa was at a loss for words when he learned the San Francisco 49ers would be taking him with the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The 49ers tweeted two videos of "the call," where general manager John Lynch, head coach Kyle Shanahan, owner Jed York and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh informed Bosa he would be playing in Santa Clara this upcoming season. "Hey Nick, you ready to do this thing, buddy?" Lynch asked his new pass rusher over the phone. "Let's do it man, welcome to the family, buddy." Bosa thanked Lynch, who passed the phone to his head coach. Shanahan asked the Ohio State product if he was "pumped" to join the team. The only thing Bosa could muster was a weak and emotional, "Yeah." RELATED: John Lynch says Solomon Thomas will 'definitely' play for 49ers in 2019 After the phone call ended, Bosa held a long embrace with his older brother Joey, who was drafted third overall by the Los Angeles Chargers (the then-San Diego Chargers) in the 2016 NFL Draft. "You're such an inspiration," a sentimental Joey Bosa whispered to his younger brother. After making the selection, Lynch said the 49ers had "solidified on this pick" in the weeks leading up to the draft. "Two of the first things we talked about is finding our quarterback and finding the guys to knock him down," he said. "I think both in quality and quantity, we've improved drastically in that respect, and that's just the start. It gives us a chance. Now we've got to go deliver there, and I think Nick really helps us in our ability to do that." OSTLER: Nick Bosa's news and views make him risky 49ers pick Bosa is slated to start alongside 2018 breakout star DeForest Buckner and the newly-acquired Dee Ford on the 49ers' defensive line in 2019. Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eric.ting@sfgate.com and follow him on Twitter Start receiving breaking news emails on floods, wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.<doc-sep>The 49ers got their guy last night, selecting former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa with the number two overall pick in the NFL Draft. In his press conference, General Manager John Lynch made it clear that ultimately, Bosa was the player they coveted most, stating: “I think kind of the evolution of the process, two players really in our minds separated themselves from the pack, and it was Bosa and it was Quinnen Williams, and those were the players, and I think ultimately we had those guys ranked extremely evenly. Then you kind of look at where your team has the biggest need, and [...] Nick [...] was a piece that we still could use, another edge guy.” Clearly, Bosa’s talent and the 49ers desire to add another piece on the edge elevated Bosa to the top prospect on their board. Given that, one would expect Bosa to be a comfortable fit in the 49ers’ defense, which is certainly the case. Bosa is, without a doubt, a superb player. He’s got the athletic abilities and polish that suggests he can come into the league and be a Pro Bowl type player straight out the gate. With his refined hands, superb power, excellent (if slightly inconsistent) burst off the snap combined with understanding of his game and attack, Bosa has all the tools to dominate in every phase of the game, as explicitly stated by Kyle Shanahan, who said: “He plays the run well. His best strength is rushing the passer, but no he can play all three downs and play in all situations.” This latter point is perhaps the crucial thing that makes Bosa so valuable to the 49ers - he is capable of playing in ALL situations. From what I have seen, Bosa will be able to play in every down and distance scenario and every package that the 49ers use: outside of resting, he will never have to leave the field. How will that likely play out? And what will it mean for other players along the defensive line? Base packages This is one of the most common fronts the 49ers use - their base 4-3 under front. In Seattle this was (and could still be) called ‘Frisco’, with the LEO in a 9-tech, a 3-tech, a 1-tech, the strong side end aligned in a 5/6-tech and the SAM linebacker on or just off the LOS. In these sorts of fronts, Bosa could play at either end, though I would expect him to play at weak side end most of the time, where he would compete for time with Dee Ford. Deforest Buckner would likely be the first choice 3-tech & Solomon Thomas would compete with Arik Armstead to play 5/6-tech. Either could also play the 3-tech spot, whilst second year players Kentavius Street & Jullian Taylor could also play either spot. DJ Jones would likely man the nose tackle position, but they could look to use players who are better penetrators there. Another common base under front that the 49ers use is a front the Seahawks called ‘Boston’. Note the position of the LEO, head up with a tight end. The strong safety will align close to the LOS to have contain responsibilities and the LEO will have to handle a possible tight-end - tackle double team, at least initially. This is the type of package that Dee Ford would likely struggle in. Bosa could certainly play the LEO role here. Given motion can cause the 49ers to shift from the previous ‘Frisco’ front into ‘Boston’, it’s feasible that we may not see Ford in base defence that often... In ‘Boston’, the defensive end spots would be filled by players capable of handling double teams - Bosa, Thomas, Armstead, Taylor, Street or even Ronald Blair. The 49ers also run some over fronts in base. This was in part due to moving away from a defensive line type player at SAM to more of an off-ball linebacker type. Bosa would probably compete for snaps at LEO here, who aligns in a wide 9 alignment most commonly. He could play the big end spot as well however. In this instance, because of the way the Lions align, Thomas (aligned at LEO), is actually head up over the tight end, whilst Arik Armstead at big-end is in a wide 9. Bosa could handle either spot - it’s again important to note that motion can see the responsibilities and alignments change - so having an end who can comfortably play lined up over a tight end/tackle or outside is a massive bonus. Occasionally, the 49ers would also run bear style fronts. Bosa would be quite capable of playing at either end of the formation, but he would most likely play the 6-tech spot Solomon Thomas is playing over the tight end. In this sort of front, Thomas, Armstead, Buckner, Taylor & Street would probably compete to play the 3/4i-tech positions. We have also heard that with the arrival of new defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, the 49ers will be introducing more wide 9 elements to their playbooks. Here is a base package utilising the wide 9 from Miami last year. Bosa could play at either end spot, likely with Dee Ford opposite. On the inside, with the onus on penetration to stress offensive linemen, Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas and Kentavius Street are the most likely candidates to man the two tackle spots. Nickel/dime packages The 49ers tended to use similar fronts in these packages - but they barely used dime at all last year. Their investment at linebacker suggests they might continue to shy away from dime if Kwon Alexander & Fred Warner remain healthy. Either way, the team will be in these the vast majority of the time. The 49ers’ most common nickel look: An over front, with the big end in a 5 or 6-tech (depending on if there is an in-line TE) and a 3-tech to the strong side; then a 1-tech and the LEO on the weak side.<doc-sep>With the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the 49ers selected Nick Bosa, defensive end out of Ohio State. Well-built, bendy, explosive, hand-work master who can win a variety of ways when flying around the corner. Sets a strong edge and can disengage from blockers to make plays against the run near the line of scrimmage. Core muscle injury is slightly concerning, but otherwise, he's a polished, instant impact rookie. Draft tracker: Get grades for every pick 49ers: A Pete Prisco: Love this pick for the Niners. They are building something special on that defensive line. Bottom line is they are gonna get after the quarterback. Love this pick. There are concerns about durability, but Nick did the smart thing by checking out early last season. Looking for your daily fix of NFL news and analysis? Look no further than the Pick Six Podcast. CBS Sports senior writer Will Brinson (and guests) gets you up to speed each day in about 30 minutes with what's trending in the NFL world so that you're always in the know. Go subscribe right now! Fantasy impact Dave Richard: Nick Bosa will immediately help the 49ers rush the passer and slam the run. Look at their additions -- Bosa, Dee Ford, Kwon Alexander. Add them to the big D-linemen they already had and this is going to be a tough defense. They'll play the Browns in Week 1, then the Rams in Week 2. I'm not sure I'd start that DST against those offenses. That means I might not draft their DST unit despite how good they look on paper. Bosa will be a must-draft DL in IDP Fantasy with a middle- to late-round pick. NFL comparison: Joey Bosa Chris Trapasso: I'll keep this short because it's the easiest comparison in this draft class. From the first step to the bend to the advanced arsenal of pass-rushing moves and speed-to-power capabilities, Nick is basically a carbon copy of his brother, Joey. College career Ryan Wilson: Bosa, who arrived at Ohio State as a true freshman the year his brother left for the NFL, played in 12 games in 2016 and had five sacks and seven tackles for loss. He played in 14 games as a sophomore and improved his numbers to 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss but only appeared in three games last season before he was sidelined with a core muscle injury. Bosa opted for surgery and sat out the rest of his junior season, instead preparing for the draft. Strengths Ryan Wilson: Bosa, not surprisingly, looks a lot like his brother. He has insane physical strength, insane get-off, controls the line of scrimmage and wreaks havoc in the backfield. He has to be accounted for on every play and can beat you inside, outside, with speed rush or bull rush. Good luck stopping this: Or this: Weaknesses Ryan Wilson: It's hard to find much fault with Bosa's game but there are the concerns about injury -- he played in just three games in 2018 because of a core muscle injury. And while there are many similarities between the brothers, Nick may be slightly less explosive than Joey.<doc-sep>
The 49ers, picking No. 2 overall in the NFL draft Thursday, made the night’s safest and riskiest pick. The 49ers selected Nick Bosa of Ohio State, an edge rusher and an edgy social-media guy. Artistically, Bosa is a super-safe pick for a team that desperately needed one. Expert opinion is near unanimous: Nick Bosa will skillfully and enthusiastically attack NFL quarterbacks. However ... hey, it’s the 49ers. You expected clear sailing on draft night? Bosa will arrive with baggage, in the form of deleted tweets and other questionable social-media adventures. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan played down that stuff in their news conference Thursday night, but it might not waft away as quickly or quietly as they — and Bosa — hope it will. There are many who believe in the old Latin phrase, In tweetus veritas. In other words, deleting a tweet doesn’t make everything sweet. Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Bosa recently deleted tweets in which he called Colin Kaepernick a “clown,” referred to Beyonce’s music as “complete trash” and called “Black Panther” the worst Marvel movie. On Thursday, the website Blacksportsonline posted threads showing Bosa following and liking accounts that feature white nationalist posts. The twitter feed @rzstprogramming showed Bosa retweeted a tweet referring to “crappernick.” While in high school, Bosa liked an Instagram post that had a photo accompanied by racist and homophobic hashtags. He said Thursday he simply did not notice the hashtags. Bosa told ESPN recently that he deleted the tweets in question because, “I had to. There’s a chance I might end up in San Francisco.” Worth noting: Bosa did not say he deleted the tweets because he outgrew, changed or regretted the beliefs. Although there was a high-percentage chance going into the draft that Bosa would wind up in San Francisco, there was a 100 percent chance he would wind up on a team with a lot of black players, in a league in which for black players, there is a high level of support and admiration for that “clown,” Kaepernick. Bosa wound up on a team that still has players who respect and support former teammate Eric Reid, who joined Kaepernick in protesting. This doesn’t mean Bosa will be a leper in the 49ers’ locker room. No team is ever 100 percent unified in its political or social beliefs. Those things often get pushed aside as players fight for a common goal, and Lynch and Shanahan both noted that one thing they love about Bosa is they learned he’s a great teammate, extremely well-liked by all. But any fans and critics on the outside, and any coaches and executives on the inside who considered Kaepernick a divisive and destructive force when he played for the 49ers have to wonder if the 49ers are taking a big risk with Bosa, for the same reason. It’s a sensitive issue, and one that Lynch and Shanahan tip-toed around Thursday. Earlier in the week, Lynch said of researching potential top draftees, “In general, we look at everything. We try to be as thorough as we can.” Yet on Thursday, Lynch said, “We were not aware of that particular (Instagram) post,” even though that news of the post was public. Michael Macor / The Chronicle Lynch added, referring to the Instagram, “That’s not something we like, but I think it’s a long time ago, and we choose to think more about what we heard from people as to who (Bosa) really is.” Shanahan, asked if he discussed any of the social-media issues with Bosa during any of their conversations, said, “I didn’t feel the need to.” That’s a curiously indirect approach to a significant issue, especially from a team whose research in the past has not always served it well. Lynch and Shanahan drafted linebacker Reuben Foster two years ago, even though he was red-flagged completely off many draft boards because of character and maturity questions. The 49ers overrode those concerns with their research. They wound up cutting Foster after multiple domestic-violence incidents. A safer pick for the 49ers on Thursday would have been defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, rated by many experts the equal to Bosa as a defensive lineman. Williams, grabbed No. 3 by the Jets, has zero character issues, and many experts say he has a bigger upside than Bosa. But Williams is an inside lineman and the 49ers are desperate for an edge rusher, especially one with Bosa’s blue-ribbon pedigree.