San Francisco 49ers fans may not get a chance to see their top draft pick on a football field until the start of the regular season.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, No. 2 overall draft pick Nick Bosa was diagnosed with an ankle sprain after getting an MRI of the injury on Wednesday evening. The 49ers are planning to be cautious with Bosa as he works back from the injury that knocked him off the practice fields earlier in the day.
The good news is there doesn’t appear to be any reason to think Bosa won’t be available for the regular season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 8. However, Bosa missed several offseason practices this spring due to a hamstring strain as well. Add in Bosa missing most of last season at Ohio State with a core muscle injury and Bosa will have not played all that much football, real or in practice, since the 2017 season.
Even if the 49ers keep him out of preseason games as he works back from the ankle sprain, he could potentially return to practice well in advance of the Buccaneers game.