Seeing his name begin to appear atop mock drafts last spring as the No. 1 pick in 2016 could have created pressure for Joey Bosa as he prepared for his junior season at Ohio State.
It turned out to have the opposite effect on the defensive end/outside linebacker prospect. He settled in for his final year in college, making changes off the field to ensure his focus remained where it needed to be. Distractions were erased that could have tripped up a 20-year-old who was big man on campus at one of the country's largest universities.
By exploding for 13 1/2 sacks as a sophomore in 2014, Bosa established his status as a top prospect, and that made things easier for him -- even if it meant more double teams on the field and less fun off of it.
"Actually, (the mock drafts) took pressure off because that whole sophomore season was me trying to cement my name and show I was one of the best in the country," Bosa said. "Once it was out there, I could just go out and play and enjoy myself instead of worrying so much. I never really paid that much attention to it, and when people were already looking at me as a high prospect, it helped me relax and go out and play."
Long considered a possibility for the Titans at No. 1, it's improbable Bosa's name will be called first after the Rams traded into the pick Thursday with the intention of taking a quarterback _ North Dakota State's Carson Wentz or Cal's Jared Goff.
But Bosa is a likely top-10 pick and could go in the first five. He's of interest to the Bears, who select 11th.
The 6-foot-5, 269-pound Bosa played end in a 4-3 scheme with the Buckeyes but is also considered a potential outside linebacker. While he might not possess the speed to be a pure edge rusher, he has an all-around game that draws comparisons to Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali. Bosa studied Hali closely at Ohio State. His position coach, Larry Johnson Sr., mentored Hali at Penn State.
Chicago ties run deep in Bosa's family, which will have a large group in town for the first round April 28. His mother, Cheryl, attended Oak Park-River Forest High School, where her brother Eric Kumerow was one of the most decorated prep athletes to come out of the area in the last 50 years.
The Bears acquired Kumerow, a first-round pick of the Dolphins in 1988 out of Ohio State, in a 1991 trade for cornerback Vestee Jackson, but the linebacker never appeared in a regular-season game for them, suffering a career-ending torn Achilles tendon in an exhibition game in Berlin. Bosa's cousin Jake Kumerow, a wide receiver, was on the Bengals practice squad last season.
Bosa's great-grandfather was Tony Accardo, who climbed the ranks in Al Capone's Chicago Outfit to become head of the crime syndicate. Accardo died in 1992, and his standing in the underworld was a question teams had when vetting Kumerow for the draft.
"It's so silly," Cheryl Bosa said. "When my brother was drafted, that was a big thing. The teams would interview Eric and they wanted to know if (Accardo) was going to have any impact on changing the game."
According to Cheryl, former FBI agent William Roemer, who authored the 1996 book "Accardo: The Genuine Godfather," told teams Accardo would have no part in influencing the outcome of games.
"(Roemer) told them you will never have to worry about (Kumerow); his grandfather has more integrity than any human being I have ever met, and he would never put his grandson in a situation like that," she said.
Said Bosa: "I've only heard amazing things about (Accardo). Wish I could have spent some time with him before he passed."
Bosa's father, John, a first-round pick of the Dolphins in 1987, acknowledges the process is nothing like what he experienced coming out of Boston College.
"Some people think I have a lot of insight because I went through it, but the reality is in 1987 and 2016, the draft process is not at all recognizable," he said. "I am pretty much like every other parent. Yes, I had a draft day, but it was very different than this. I was sitting home in Keene, N.H., and had no idea what was going to happen, and there were two TV cameras in the living room and no massive expectations."
Those great expectations are what led Bosa to move out of an apartment he shared with running back Ezekiel Elliott and another student and get a one-bedroom place last spring. He was suspended for the Buckeyes' season opener against Virginia Tech for a transgression Bosa said he has discussed with NFL teams, and the goal was to maintain his focus on football and school.
"It was a huge commitment and it was a huge sacrifice," Cheryl said. "It is unfortunate for these kids these days with social media. They can't do anything. It's all going to get scrutinized. So he literally was a hermit."
Bosa had friends over to play Xbox, but other than that he maintained a low profile away from the field to ensure there were no missteps that could mar his transition to the pros. His mom gave him a dozen go-to family recipes, and he cooked for himself. She said his specialty is skirt steak with pesto and pasta.
"We thought as a group that would be the best decision," Bosa said. "With the little time I had away from football and school, spending it inside and not doing something destructive wasn't a very hard decision at all. You have that spotlight and that 'X' on your back all of the time, no matter if you are going to get some food or out at a bar. You have to be conscientious every time you go out."
If things go as planned, opponents will soon put the "X" on Bosa's back as a player who has to be accounted for on every down. He said at the scouting combine he believes he is the best player in the draft, words he's ready to back up.
"If you don't think that, there is something wrong," John said. "You should have that mentality, and I am proud of him for that."
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