San Francisco 49ers: Grading the 2017 NFL Draft class after one full year

John Lynch showed some mastery right out of the gate, trading down from No. 2 to No. 3 with the Chicago Bears, adding a slew of draft picks and grabbing the player he wanted all along, former Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas.

Thomas’ offseason development was set back by a rule preventing him from joining NFL ranks until college classes were complete. And who knows if that stunted his growth in 2017.

With his first season complete, Thomas finished with 34 tackles and was tied for second on the defense with three sacks. But Pro Football Focus issued the 22 year old a 53.2 overall grade — lowest among San Francisco’s starting four defensive linemen.

Thomas flashed the promise that earned him consideration so high in the draft. But he also had edge-setting issues and, at times, took improper routes in his pass rush.

For a middle-of-the-pack first-round pick, this wouldn’t be so bad. Yet top-five players are those you’d like to see in consideration for Rookie of the Year awards.

Thomas won’t come close to that, unfortunately, but he does have a similar trajectory to fellow D-lineman DeForest Buckner, who dealt with similar issues his rookie year.

And Buckner is one of the best interior defenders in the NFL right now.

Let’s hope Thomas is continuing along the same trajectory, as his rookie season was OK at best.