It's squarely the offseason, so there isn't always a ton to write about and expand on. And that might explain why Bleacher Report posted a list of the 99 biggest draft busts across not just the NFL, but also the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball.
Sadly, the San Francisco 49ers appeared on said list... twice.
Of course, the 2021 selection of quarterback Trey Lance should go down as one of the worst draft busts in franchise history, if not the absolute worst overall. But, B/R's list didn't forget to mention the Niners' now-infamous selection of defensive end Solomon Thomas at No. 3 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.
True, Thomas played for four years with San Francisco, although he turned into a mere rotational player instead of a cornerstone piece, which you'd expect from a third-overall pick. And he's been a journeyman defensive lineman ever since.
Yet there's a saving grace from that pickup that many fans overlooked and arguably still forget all these years later.
And that particular fallout is worth highlighting... big time.
Solomon Thomas draft bust still ended up netting Fred Warner for 49ers
Perhaps those fans may recall how the 49ers originally owned the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, yet they ultimately convinced the Chicago Bears to move up a spot to select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
As part of the deal, Chicago included a third-rounder from the 2018 draft that'd get sent to the Niners in the trade-up.
A year later, San Francisco would use that Round 3 pick from the Bears on a BYU linebacker, Fred Warner.
Of course, little needs to be said about Warner's ascent to Hall of Fame-level play in the years since. Not just a fan-favorite in the Bay Area, Warner is still viewed as the NFL's best off-ball linebacker and has been for years now.
So, that's a win, right? Absolutely.
Sure, the 49ers would've been better off selecting someone other than Thomas after trading down with Chicago, and it still would have left the door open to grabbing Warner in 2018. And there'll still be "what if?" questions about the Niners' original selection, especially with a promising quarterback named Patrick Mahomes still available.
But, grabbing Warner as part of the fallout helps give San Francisco a massive piece of solace.
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