President Trump congratulates St. Thomas Aquinas’ Nick Bosa after 49ers take DE No. 2

In the lead up to the 2019 NFL Draft, Nick Bosa’s social media presence came under the microscope.

Old Twitter posts criticizing Colin Kaepernick and “Black Panther,” and promoting President Donald Trump came to the surface. Past Instagram activity of Bosa liking posts using racist and homophobic slurs gained notice.

Still, the San Francisco 49ers took the former Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end at No. 2 overall Thursday. Two days later, Trump took to Twitter to show his appreciation for Bosa’s past support.

“Congratulations to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft,” Trump wrote on Twitter. You will be a great player for years to come, maybe one of the best. Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Bosa, who played at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale before going to Ohio State, made a concerted effort to sanitize his Twitter page as the NFL Draft drew near. Those tweets criticizing Kaepernick — and “Black Panther” and Beyonce — have all been deleted from Twitter feed. Bosa explained to ESPN it’s because he knew there was a good chance he’d wind up with the 49ers.

“I had to,” Bosa said. “There is a chance I might end up in San Francisco.”

Bosa was once considered the favorite to go No. 1, although he dropped to No. 2 once the Arizona Cardinals became fixated on Oklahoma Sooners star Kyler Murray, who wound up going No. 1.

Bosa, whose father was a first-round pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, has been on a star trajectory since he was playing for the Raiders in Fort Lauderdale. The defensive lineman was a two-time first-team all-Broward County selection by the Miami Herald at St. Thomas Aquinas, then was a first-team All-American for the Buckeyes as a sophomore in 2017.