Bosa: 'Big mistake' if Cardinals pass him up at No. 1

Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa, whose junior season ended early because of a bilateral core muscle injury, said it would be a "big mistake" if the Arizona Cardinals use the first selection on someone else. Speculation has been that the Cardinals could go for another defensive lineman or Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray at No. 1 -- or a team could trade into that spot for the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner.

"I wouldn't say anything about Kyler," Bosa said Saturday in his interview session at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "I would just say that I'm somebody who loves game more than anybody. I'm going to come in and I'm going to work every day, every practice, trying to find new things to better myself. If you do draft me, you're going to have somebody who's going to improve throughout my entire career."

Bosa said he is healthy enough to do all the drills Sunday at the combine. He put up 29 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press on Saturday. "I've been training at full speed for a couple of months, but actually feeling like myself, not feeling soreness, for probably a few weeks," Bosa said.

Bosa played in just three games for Ohio State last season before suffering the injury, withdrawing from school in October to focus on his rehabilitation after surgery to repair torn muscles near his abdomen and groin. Bosa said he has formal interviews scheduled with the top eight teams in the draft. The Cardinals at No. 1 and the San Francisco 49ers, who choose second, both need edge-rush help.

"They got really good interior guys right now," Bosa said of the 49ers. "They just need help on the edge is what they told me. I think I would be a true defensive end there, hand in the dirt. That's something I like about them, for sure." Bosa has a chance to exceed the draft selection of his brother, Joey, who went third to the Chargers in the 2016 draft.

Nick Bosa had 29 tackles for loss, including 17.5 sacks, in 29 games for the Buckeyes. --Field Level Media