Round 1: Defensive End Solomon Thomas, Stanford
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 273 pounds
The 49ers have already drafted two defensive ends in consecutive years, Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner, but Stanford’s Solomon Thomas is an entirely different player altogether.
Thomas is a pocket-wrecking force, who registered 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss last year.
On top of that, Thomas helps reinforce what was the Niners’ biggest weakness last season — the run defense.
As Pro Football Focus’ metric below shows (h/t PFF’s Jordan Plocher), Thomas’ run-stopping ability is also one of his major strengths:
Solomon Thomas is Pac-Man according to the spider chart in PFF Draft Pass. https://t.co/LYuzuvdEj6 pic.twitter.com/M09WUst6rU
— Jordan Plocher (@PFF_Jordan) March 21, 2017
One can imagine an offensive line with Thomas playing the right defensive tackle position. But he’s flexible enough to move all around the line as needed.
That should significantly boost a San Francisco defensive line, especially with up-and-coming defenders like Armstead and Buckner in the mix.
And just like that, the 49ers defense could be back on its way to being dominant again.