San Francisco 49ers: 3 players who could be traded during 2020 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Defensive End Solomon Thomas
The pre-NFL free agency trade of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts dampens the idea the 49ers would consider moving their 2017 first-round investment, defensive end Solomon Thomas, quite a bit. After all, the Niners are hurting a bit more for defensive line depth right now, and Thomas at least stands to benefit from a substantial increase in snaps this season.
That is, of course, if San Francisco doesn’t use a high pick to replace Buckner right away.
If that happens, Thomas’ value to the 49ers decreases significantly. And while John Lynch vehemently denied anything was about to take place, the 2019 reports of Thomas potentially being on the trade block at least suggest there’s a chance the underwhelming No. 3 overall pick could be moved if the return cost was met.
Like Dante Pettis, the Niners wouldn’t be getting anything close to meeting the investment they made some years ago.
Still, there are plenty of teams out there needing some added bulk on defense, particularly against the run and from the inside. Thomas, while having “bust” status applied to him on an increasing basis, could also stand for a change in scenery and a new role with a team willing to take on year four of his rookie contract.
And maybe that’s enough to view a mid- or late-round trade swap.