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San Francisco 49ers: Looking back on the 2017 NFL Draft trade for Solomon Thomas

By Akshaj Dwivedula

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: (L-R) Solomon Thomas of Stanford poses with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers (from Bears) during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: (L-R) Solomon Thomas of Stanford poses with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers (from Bears) during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 27: (L-R) Solomon Thomas of Stanford poses with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers (from Bears) during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

The Third Overall Pick (2017)

So, this was at the heart of the trade. The 49ers went down a spot and selected Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas, while the Chicago Bears went up a spot to take quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. I personally am not very high on Trubisky — he looks like an athletic Alex Smith — but this isn’t just about Trubisky. This is about what the 49ers got out of the trade.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Now, when looking back at the selection of Thomas, even then it raised several questions. With stars such as cornerback Marshon Lattimore from Ohio State, or even defensive tackle Jonathan Allen from Alabama, on the board, the third straight pick of an defensive linemen seemed kind of worrisome.

Around two years later, Thomas has played quite well as a run defender with a 70.5 PFF run grade. But as our own Peter Panacy put it, “it’s appearing as if the San Francisco 49ers whiffed on defensive end Solomon Thomas at No. 3 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.”

It only got worse when you realize that Solomon just doesn’t fit on this 49ers defense right now. PFF’s Sam Monson explains:

"The root of his struggles lie in being played out of position as a rookie. Thomas is something of a tweener when it comes to body type (just 273-pounds at the NFL combine), but is fundamentally an interior lineman not an edge rusher."

And as we all know, the 49ers have DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead as their starting interior defensive linemen. Thomas’ draft pedigree doesn’t matter when compared to two other first-round picks.

If there is any solace, it comes that Thomas’ issue can be solved by next year. If the 49ers don’t feel comfortable with paying Armstead the edge-rusher fifth-year option, which is significantly high, then Thomas should be in the 49er interior as soon as next year.