After ‘slow process,’ Ohio State’s Nick Bosa ‘completely healed’ from core-muscle injury

INDIANAPOLIS — Nick Bosa followed a long, challenging road to recovery from the core-muscle injury that cut short his football career at Ohio State.­

Now fully healthy, the former Buckeyes edge rusher is ready to show NFL teams that he can live up to his billing as one of the best prospects — if not the best — in April’s draft.

‘You’re breaking down scar tissue and getting back’

On Sunday, Bosa had unofficial 40-yard dash times of 4.84 and 4.79 seconds.

“I mean, it’s a muscle that you use to do everything, so it’s definitely a slow process.”

“It was a slow process in the beginning,” Bosa told Jim Miller and Mark Dominik on Movin’ The Chains at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I mean, it’s a muscle that you use to do everything, so it’s definitely a slow process. You’re breaking down scar tissue and getting back.

‘It’s just you deal with a little bit of pain in the beginning’

“But once I was able to start training, start running, it started becoming normal. It’s just you deal with a little bit of pain in the beginning and I’m safe to say it’s completely healed now.”

Bosa’s development has been helped greatly by having plenty of NFL role models in his family. His brother and fellow former Ohio State standout Joey Bosa is a star edge rusher for the Los Angeles Chargers, who made him the third overall pick of the 2016 draft after his official Combine 40 clocking of 4.86. Their father, John Bosa, was a defensive end for the Miami Dolphins, who made him a first-round pick from Boston College in 1987.

‘I got to really observe my brother this year, living with him in California’

“It’s been a huge help,” Nick said. “I got to really observe my brother this year, living with him in California and just seeing just how grueling and NFL season can be. Physically, just how he stays in shape and gets through the whole year successfully. So that’s big.”

The younger Bosa has been working with Todd Rice, the same personal trainer who works with his brother.

‘I like to watch DeMarcus Lawrence, I like to watch Aaron Donald’

“He’s been around the college scene and NFL, he’s been all over,” Nick said. “He’s just a really smart dude. I trust him very much and it’s just good to have a one-on-one thing.”

Besides his brother, Bosa has studied other top NFL pass-rushers. “I like to watch DeMarcus Lawrence, I like to watch Aaron Donald,” he said. “They all do certain things just spectacularly and I try to take maybe a move from each and add it to my game.”