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49ers NFL Draft Prospect Watch: Making the Case for Solomon Thomas at No. 2 Overall

By Peter Panacy

Jul 15, 2016; Hollywood, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive end Solomon Thomas poses during Pac-12 media day at Hollywood & Highland. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 15, 2016; Hollywood, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive end Solomon Thomas poses during Pac-12 media day at Hollywood & Highland. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 30, 2016; El Paso, TX, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive lineman Solomon Thomas (90) celebrates with head coach David Shaw (L) after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 25-23 at Sun Bowl Stadium. Thomas was named MVP of the game. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2016; El Paso, TX, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive lineman Solomon Thomas (90) celebrates with head coach David Shaw (L) after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 25-23 at Sun Bowl Stadium. Thomas was named MVP of the game. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports /

Breaking Down the Statistics

Solomon Thomas’ junior year (2016) showcased why he can be such a pocket-wrecking force at the next level.

He’s not just a pass-rushing specialist, although his 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss last year do more than enough to suggest he can get behind the line of scrimmage:

Defense & Fumbles Table
Tackles
Year School Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk
*2015 Stanford Pac-12 SO DE 13 23 14 37 10.5 3.5
2016 Stanford Pac-12 JR DE 13 40 21 61 14.0 8.5
Career Stanford 63 35 98 24.5 12.0

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 3/13/2017.

Thomas also has good tackling numbers for an interior lineman. And considering how weak San Francisco’s run defense was a year ago, plugging in a player like Thomas could vastly help the Niners defense prevent holes at the point of attack.

It helps Pro Football Focus gave Thomas the No. 1 overall grade for interior linemen against the run (92.0) and the No. 6 overall grade for the same category in the pass rush.