Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Identifying 10 cornerstone players for 2018

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 27: Rashod Hill #69 of the Minnesota Vikings blocks Solomon Thomas #94 of the San Francisco 49ers in the preseason game on August 27, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 32-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 27: Rashod Hill #69 of the Minnesota Vikings blocks Solomon Thomas #94 of the San Francisco 49ers in the preseason game on August 27, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 32-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Defensive End Solomon Thomas

2017 might be a bit of a disappointment for San Francisco’s No. 1 overall pick from this year’s NFL Draft, but defensive end Solomon Thomas is still a player the team would be wise to build around.

Before suffering a knee injury in Week 8, Thomas had accumulated an overall 57.7 grade, per Pro Football Focus, but actually had a respectable 77.5 run-stopping grade.

Considering how bad the Niners’ run defense was a year ago, this is important to note.

Thomas is also going through many of the similar growing pains fellow defensive lineman DeForest Buckner experienced early his rookie year — playing with pad levels too high, taking the wrong angles and biting on fakes.

As long as Thomas can address these between now and year two, the 49ers could still wind up with a very special player comprising what may still be the team’s best defensive unit next season.