Joey Bosa Wins 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award: Comments, Reaction

Los Angeles Chargers edge-rusher Joey Bosa took home NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors on Saturday night at the NFL Honors in Houston: 

NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal relayed the final vote tallies, which showed that Bosa bested Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones and Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey in a big way: 

Although Bosa's debut was delayed until Week 5 against the Oakland Raiders, he made up for lost time by burning offensive tackles repeatedly over the Chargers' final 12 games. 

Over the course of his inaugural NFL campaign, the Ohio State product racked up 10.5 sacks and 41 total tackles. 

"As far as rookies go, he's the most polished pass-rusher that I've ever seen," Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas said, per the Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich. "He's got a natural instinct about counter pass-rush moves and using his hands to beat an offensive lineman that you don't really see out of rookies."

Thomas added that Bosa "looks like an eight-year vet out there the way he tries to get after the quarterback." 

Thanks to those qualities, Bosa earned the highest overall grade (89.9) among all defensive linemen on the Chargers, according to Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner.  

Furthermore, Bosa posted "a comparable pressure total to Jason Pierre-Paul but on almost 300 fewer snaps," as PFF's Sam Monson noted in advance of Week 17. 

Now firmly established as one of the league's dominant edge-rushers, Bosa will have a chance to emerge as an All-Pro-caliber talent as the Chargers embark on what they hope will be a prosperous new era in Los Angeles.