San Francisco 49ers: 3 surprise starters for the defense in 2020

No. 1: 49ers Defensive End Solomon Thomas

It’s clear the Niners are never going to get anything close for the hopeful returns they wanted on their top draft pick from 2017, defensive end Solomon Thomas. His six career sacks essentially sum up the disappointment here, and Thomas has long since been relegated to a rotational player and depth piece.

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But there’s a chance that changes in 2020, at least early on.

Thomas’ best efforts over his pro career have come within the interior of the defensive line, not off the edges. Previously, the Niners enjoyed fielding DeForest Buckner as the starting 3-technique, and there was little reason to keep Buckner off the field aside from resting him in various situations.

Yet with San Francisco adding a rookie, Javon Kinlaw, the expectation could be Robert Saleh instead elects to bring the former South Carolina product along slowly instead of asking too much of him, too soon.

If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be a total shocker to see Thomas listed as a starter, getting a good deal of first- and second-down reps while letting Kinlaw come in for the clear-cut third-down passing situations. This would also play into Thomas’ strengths, too, as his prowess as a run defender far exceed those of a pass-rusher.

Again, it’s not overly likely this happens, particularly considering the Niners didn’t invest a high draft pick in Kinlaw only to have him be a third-down player.

That said, this might be the best chance for Thomas to resurrect his career.