Big Ten’s 10 most frightening players to play against

Sep 26, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Joey Bosa (97) lines up versus the Western Michigan Broncos at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 38-12. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Joey Bosa is the heart and soul of the Ohio State Buckeyes’ defense. A season after the junior defensive end led the Big Ten in both tackles for loss with 22 and sacks with 14, offenses have learned their lesson and schemed around him to keep him out of their backfields.

That has opened paths for fellow defensive linemates Sam Hubbard, Adolphus Washington and Tyquan Lewis to get to the quarterback unabated with regularity. Bosa has only three sacks this season, but his statistical sacrifice has led to his teammates’ benefit.

Bosa is a consensus first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, and may go as high as number one overall. The 6-foot-6, 275 lbs lineman might be just the young star for a team to build a defense around.

Bosa finds himself on a number of award watch lists, including the Ted Hendricks Award, which goes to the nation’s top defensive end. He was also named to ESPN’s preseason All-American team and ESPN’s preseason All-Big Ten team.

Rest assured, his performance this season will put him on both of those lineups at the end of the year as well.

Next: Jourdan Lewis