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49ers preseason: 5 players to watch in Week 2

By Robert Smith

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 17: Players from the San Francisco 49ers take the field before the preseason game against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium on August 17, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 17: Players from the San Francisco 49ers take the field before the preseason game against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium on August 17, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 11: Quarterback Tyler Bray #9 of the Kansas City Chiefs passes as defensive end Solomon Thomas #94 of the San Francisco 49ers defends during the preseason game at Arrowhead Stadium on August 11, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 11: Quarterback Tyler Bray #9 of the Kansas City Chiefs passes as defensive end Solomon Thomas #94 of the San Francisco 49ers defends during the preseason game at Arrowhead Stadium on August 11, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Defensive End Solomon Thomas

Defensive end Solomon Thomas is looking to make up for lost time. So far, so good.

The third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Thomas was not able to attend OTAs due to an archaic NFL rule that limits the practice time for players who haven’t graduated and are using a quarter-based school calendar.

While his stats (two tackles and a QB pressure) on 28 snaps may not jump off the page, Thomas was definitely effective during that time. He played not only at defensive end, but at defensive tackle, playing well into the fourth quarter after Ronald Blair left with an injury. And the pressure he put on Chiefs backup QB Tyler Bray did result in an interception.

Not only did he get pressure on that play, but he displayed some other impressive moves that resulted in good pressure on the QB, as shown below:

And while his playing time was against KC’s backups, it’s great to see a rookie stand out, especially one who missed as much time as Thomas has.

That means he has a quick learning curve, and it’s hard not to think that with more time and experience, Thomas can be an impact player in his rookie season for the 49ers.

With a front seven that has the potential to be not only talented, but deep as well, it could propel the 49ers defense to make huge strides form last year’s debacle, when they were last or near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every single defensive category.

Next: WR Marquise Goodwin a player to watch vs Broncos

If this is just a glimpse into the type of player Thomas will be, many 49ers fans will be plenty happy to watch him develop in 2017.